New Delhi [India], September 15 : The accused in the Delhi BMW accident near Dhaula Kuan on September 14, which left one person dead and another injured, has been remanded to two days' judicial custody by the Court on Monday.
The accused driver, Gaganpreet Kaur, was arrested earlier today by the Delhi Police.
A notice has been issued on her bail application, with the hearing scheduled for September 17.
The BMW car rammed into a motorcycle on Sunday. The motorcycle also hit a bus on the left during the impact.
Navjot Singh, an employee of the Ministry of Finance and a resident of Hari Nagar, was declared dead. His wife sustained multiple fractures and head injuries.
Deceased Navjot's advocate, Ishan Dewan, told ANI, "... The police demanded judicial custody and not police custody. The court has granted judicial custody for two days. The lawyer of the accused has moved a bail application today... What is important right now is that the unfortunate incident that has happened should not happen again... We will present all facts in the court..."
After the accident, the injured were taken to Nulife Hospital in GTB Nagar, located nearly 20 kilometres away. This decision later became a major point of contention.
Advocate Dewan also highlighted the above-mentioned fact.
"It was not just an accident of two minutes. It was an episode of a couple of hours. The decision they took was not to take the victim to a hospital, which was a minute away; instead, he was taken far away. This shows their mental and decision-making condition. We will ensure that this is presented to the court properly... The version of the wife of the deceased is most important... The court has said that if any medical care is required for the accused, it will be provided in the jail... She will be produced in the court the day after tomorrow... We will oppose the bail...," he said.
According to Delhi Police, the accident occurred around 1 to 1:30 PM on September 14 on Ring Road near Metro pillar 67, Dhaula Kuan.
In a statement, Delhi Police said: "A BMW car was found overturned on the road, and a motorcycle was found near the Metro pillar. Eyewitnesses said a woman was driving the car, which hit the motorcycle. After this, she and her husband took a taxi and took the injured to the hospital. A call was received from the hospital regarding one patient dead and another sustained injuries. The vehicles have been seized, and the crime team has examined the spot. The FSL team was also called."
Hospital director Dr. Shakuntala Kumar told ANI: "Around 2 PM yesterday, a medico-legal case related to a road accident was brought to our hospital. A man aged between 50 and 57 years was brought dead. His wife was vitally stable and opted to be transferred to another hospital after stabilisation. Two additional patients, believed to be car occupants, were also treated--one was discharged and the other referred to a higher centre."
The victim's wife was later shifted to Venkateshwar Hospital.
Navnoor Singh, son of the deceased, alleged that his father's life could have been saved had he been taken to a nearby superspeciality hospital.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "The accident happened around 1 or 1:30 pm. A girl driving a BMW hit my parents' motorcycle. They were taken to a hospital 20 km away, which had no facilities. My father was declared dead there. There are many superspeciality hospitals near Dhaula Kuan and AIIMS too. If they had been sent there, he could have been saved."
He further alleged that Nulife Hospital belonged to the accused driver.
"Those who were in the car have sustained minor injuries and are in the same hospital. My parents were sent to the hospital in a delivery van. When my mother gained consciousness, she looked back to see my father lying down," he told ANI.
The injured wife also gave her statement to police, alleging that she pleaded with the driver to take them to the nearest hospital but was instead taken deliberately to a smaller, distant facility.
She said, "The accident happened when the BMW, driven recklessly and at high speed, collided with our motorcycle from behind. Both of us were thrown onto the road. My husband sustained serious head injuries, and I suffered fractures and head wounds requiring 14 stitches. After the accident, I repeatedly requested to be taken to the nearest hospital, but instead, we were taken to GTB Nagar, where I was left waiting on a stretcher. Later, I was shifted to another hospital."
Eyewitness Gulfam, who transported the injured, described what he saw.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "I was coming from Dhaula Kuan when I saw the accident. I made two people sit in my car and took them to the hospital. The condition of the injured was very bad. It took us 20 minutes to reach GTB Nagar. The doctors were ready there, and I think this is why she asked me to take them."
Delhi Police registered an FIR (No. 240/25) under sections 281, 125B, 105, and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), covering rash driving, causing death by negligence, endangering life, and disappearance of evidence.
Additional DCP (South-West) Abhimanyu Poswal told ANI that they are waiting for a report to check for a drunk and driving angle, and are also checking CCTV footage to verify the overspeeding angle.
"We are waiting for the toxicology report to check for a drunk-driving angle. CCTV footage is being verified to confirm overspeeding. Regarding the tampering of evidence, she should have taken the victims to the nearest hospital and informed police," he said.
The deceased's cousin, Shailendra, demanded accountability.
"If she has made mistakes--rash driving or decisions after the accident--she has to pay the price. The logical choice in any accident is to go to the nearest hospital with emergency care. If they did not do that, those decisions were wrong," Shailendra said while speaking to ANI.