The Gujarat High Court has denied the regular bail application of Tathya Patel, the young man accused of causing a fatal accident on an Ahmedabad flyover in 2023. Patel, who was allegedly driving a Jaguar, is said to have lost control and crashed into a crowd, resulting in nine deaths and injuring 13 others.
Justice MR Mengdey of the Gujarat High Court ruled against granting bail, following a decision by a rural court earlier this month to also deny the request. Patel has been in custody for approximately 18 months following his arrest on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other offenses under the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act.
The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of July 20, 2023, on the ISKCON bridge. The crowd, which included a police constable who was among those killed, had gathered when Patel’s vehicle allegedly sped into them. In addition to Patel’s arrest, his father, Pragnesh Patel, was taken into custody for allegedly threatening witnesses at the scene but has since been granted bail with restrictions on his presence in Ahmedabad.
The case against Tathya Patel has progressed with the police filing a detailed 1,700-page charge sheet, which includes a report from Jaguar indicating that the vehicle was exceeding speed limits at the time of the accident. The court’s decision to deny bail underscores the severity of the charges and the ongoing judicial proceedings in this high-profile case.
