Court Acquits Mulund Homemaker in 2012 Parking Lot Death Case
A Mumbai magistrate's court last week acquitted a homemaker accused of running over and killing a senior citizen at Trishala Apartment on P K Road in Mulund (West). The acquittal of Neha Kapasi, who was accused of causing the death of Kamalabai Gaikwad in November 2012, came after key witnesses, including the complainant, died during the 14-year trial pendency.
The magistrate acquitted Kapasi, who was out on bail, of all charges under the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act. The court noted that because the complainant, Mahadev Jadhav, had died during the trial, the complaint could not be proved.
Furthermore, the court observed that despite issuing witness summons from time to time to other eyewitnesses of the incident, the prosecution did not keep them present or examine them. Reports submitted to the court indicated that many of these witnesses no longer resided at their given addresses.
The magistrate stated that the prosecution failed to prove that Kapasi drove the car at a high speed, dashed into Gaikwad to cause her death, and left the spot without providing medical help.
According to the prosecution's case, the incident took place on November 10, 2012, at around 2:00 PM. Gaikwad's son-in-law, Mahadev Jadhav, had arrived at Trishala Apartment in Mulund. Gaikwad served him lunch and subsequently went to rest in the shade of an open parking space near the main gate of the building.
Soon after, a crowd began shouting and running toward the building. Jadhav rushed to the scene and discovered Gaikwad trapped under a white sedan, vomiting blood and severely injured. Kapasi was identified as the driver of the car.
Bystanders assisted in pulling Gaikwad from beneath the vehicle. Jadhav then transported her in an autorickshaw to a local hospital. She was later transferred to the intensive care unit at Sion Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries the following morning. Jadhav subsequently filed the complaint but passed away before the trial reached its conclusion.
