Lokmat News Network (Nagpur)
All decks have been cleared for the Tehsil police to take Ritika Malu into custody after the district and sessions court and subsequently the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court refused to grant pre-arrest bail to her in the Ram Jhula accident case of February 24. The police today withdrew its application seeking permission to arrest her under section 304 of the IPC and dispatched search parties to locate her in Rajasthan and elsewhere.
Assistant public prosecutor Rashmi Khaparde said, there is no legal protection remaining for Malu and the police have all rights to take her into custody.
Senior police inspector Sandip Buwa had filed an application seeking permission for making the arrest before JMFC V. V. Deshmukh on May 25. The said application was filed after the district and sessions court refused the anticipatory bail plea on May 24. Thereafter Malu had knocked the doors of the High Court challenging the district and sessions court's decision and prayed for bail.
However, the High Court too did not offer any relief leading to the police withdrawing its application before the JMFC. While interacting with Lokmat Times senior police inspector Sandip Buwa said that both the sessions court and High Court refused to grant any protection to Malu, therefore we have a legal right to arrest her. "We are making every possible effort to reach her. We have traced her mobile locations and also sent some police parties in search of her," the police inspector said, adding that he was confident that she would soon be placed under arrest.
When asked about the court's decision Buwa said that when Malu's interim bail application was finally heard before the sessions court police had submitted her mobile locations, which showed that she was out of Nagpur city without informing the court and police. The police had also issued a notice asking her to present herself at the police station but she did not reply to the notice. The court took cognisance of this evidence and refused relief. The prosecution took a similar line in the High Court too.
Malu is an accused in an offence of drunken driving and causing death of Mohmmad Hussain Gulam Mustafa (34), of Nall Sahab Square, Mominpura and Mohammad Atif Mohammad Joya (32) of Jafar Nagar on the night of February 24, 2024. Following the accident, Malu and her friend Madhuri Shishir Sarda (37), who was accompanying her, had fled from the accident spot, it was alleged in the complaint. However, both women later surrendered and were arrested.
Tehsil police had initially registered an offence under section 304 (a) which was bailable, but after confirmation of the accused being intoxicated at the time of the mishap, section 304 IPC was added in the FIR.