BMW crash in Delhi: 'Gaganpreet filed false MLC report after 5 hours, got herself admitted to ICU'

Gaganpreet

The primary accused in the BMW collision that killed a senior finance ministry official has told a court the incident was not a criminal act. The defence argued the crash was an accident during a bail hearing on Wednesday.

Gaganpreet Makkad is in judicial custody until September 27. The court will hear arguments on her bail plea this Saturday.

Representing Gaganpreet, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta objected to the police’s decision to treat the case as culpable homicide. He highlighted a significant delay in the official filing of the case.

"There was a 10-hour delay in the registration of the FIR," Gupta stated, according to reports. He asserted that his client had tried to save the victim, 57-year-old Navjot Singh, following the impact.

Gupta challenged criticism that Singh should have been taken to a closer hospital. He argued this could not determine intent. "Everyone in such a situation tries to save lives. What else could have been her intention?" he asked the court.

However, the counsel for the victim’s wife presented a contrasting account. He alleged Gaganpreet was not seriously injured yet chose to take Singh to a hospital 20 km away instead of one just minutes from the crash site, TOI reported.

Atul Kumar, representing Singh's wife, claimed Gaganpreet tampered with evidence. He alleged she had herself admitted to an ICU and prepared a "false" medico-legal case report (MLC) five hours after the event.

"She was driving at such a speed that the BMW turned turtle," Kumar told the court, according to the TOI report.

He further stated a van driver who transported the injured had insisted on going to the nearest hospital. He claimed Gaganpreet ignored this advice. "Why didn't you call an ambulance? The base hospital was minutes away," Kumar questioned.

The judicial magistrate, Ankit Garg, issued a notice to police to preserve the CCTV footage of the accident. This followed a request from the defence team. The matter of the footage will be taken up on Thursday.

The defence also invoked the need for a fair investigation. Gupta cited Supreme Court rulings, emphasising that police must collect "real" evidence, a principle central to the judicial system.

The fatal incident occurred on Sunday afternoon near the Delhi Cantonment metro station. Singh was returning to his home in Hari Nagar with his wife on a motorcycle when the collision happened.