The Delhi High Court has granted bail to a 26-year-old man accused of driving a speeding Thar that allegedly ran over two persons near Talkatora Stadium in Chanakyapuri last year, observing his young age, lack of prior criminal record and the overall circumstances of the case.
Justice Manoj Jain directed the release of the accused, Ashish Bachchas, on furnishing a personal bond of ₹25,000 with one surety of the like amount, subject to the satisfaction of the trial court. The order was passed on February 19.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred around 6:30 am on August 10, when the vehicle allegedly struck two individuals near Gate No. 3 of Talkatora Stadium. The accused was arrested at the spot by the Delhi Police.
During the search of the vehicle, the police claimed to have recovered multiple narcotic substances, including ganja (21.26 gm), tobacco (15.49 gm), cocaine (0.30 gm), charas (4.17 gm), MD (23.47 gm) and LSD (2.6 gm).
Counsel for the accused argued that there was no clarity on whether the substance purported to be LSD was in fact LSD, and pointed out that the remaining substances fell within the category of “small” or “intermediate” quantity under the law, which does not bar the grant of bail.
The defence also highlighted that the accused had no previous criminal antecedents and that the investigation had been completed with the filing of the chargesheet.
Opposing the bail plea, the Delhi Police submitted that multiple contraband substances had been recovered from the vehicle. It argued that the absence of a forensic report on the alleged LSD could not lead to a presumption that the substance was not LSD.
However, the prosecution acknowledged that the quantities of the other recovered substances were within the “small” or “intermediate” range.
The High Court noted that the chargesheet had already been filed and the matter was listed for consideration on charge on April 8. Taking into account the “overall facts of the case,” the applicant’s young age and absence of prior criminal history, the Court held that he was entitled to be released on bail.
The accused was represented by advocates Ujwal Ghai, Bhanu Malhotra and Rishabh Atri.
