Mumbai: Sessions Court Sentences Horse Handler to Two Years’ Rigorous Imprisonment in Six-Year-Old Girl’s Joyride Death Case

A sessions court in Mumbai on Tuesday sentenced a horse handler to two years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with the 2017 death of a six-year-old girl. The case relates to a tragic incident that occurred during a recreational horse ride in the city. The court found the accused responsible for the circumstances that led to the child’s fatal injuries. The judgment was delivered after examining witness testimonies and material evidence presented during the trial, bringing closure to a case that had drawn considerable public attention over the years.

The victim, Janhavi Mistry, was the daughter of Mahendra Mistry, the chief executive officer of a private company. She lost her life after falling from a horse during a leisure ride in South Mumbai. According to case details, the young girl had been visiting a park when the incident took place. What began as a routine outing turned tragic when she was suddenly thrown off the animal. The accident resulted in critical injuries, leaving her family devastated by the unforeseen and heartbreaking loss.

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Presiding over the matter, Sessions Judge Avinash Kulkarni convicted horse handler Sohan Jaiswal under Section 304-II of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The detailed judgment explaining the court’s reasoning was not immediately available. However, the conviction indicates that the court found sufficient evidence to establish that the accused’s actions contributed directly to the fatal outcome. The ruling underscores the legal responsibility of individuals engaged in offering public recreational services, particularly when children’s safety is involved.

Police investigations revealed that the girl was riding the horse in a public park when she was abruptly dislodged from the saddle and fell beneath the animal. She sustained grievous injuries in the fall and was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Despite medical efforts, she succumbed to her injuries. The prosecution, led by Anand Sukhdeve, examined six witnesses during the trial, including the child’s parents, to establish the sequence of events and the alleged negligence involved in the incident.

During the proceedings, the prosecution argued that Jaiswal did not possess the mandatory license to operate horse rides and had failed to provide essential safety equipment to the child. These lapses, it contended, amounted to gross negligence. The defence, however, maintained that the accident occurred due to the poor condition of the road, citing potholes and surface cracks that may have caused the horse to stumble. It also argued that animals cannot be entirely controlled by humans. The court ultimately rejected these submissions and held Jaiswal guilty.