New Delhi, Sep 27 (UNI) A Delhi court granted bail to Gagampreet Makkad, the main accused in the BMW accident case, noting the CCTV footage of the incident contradicted the prosecution’s claim of a deliberate high-speed ramming, showing instead an accidental loss of control and flip of the vehicle.
Navjot Singh (50), an employee of the Ministry of Finance, was killed in the accident while his wife was severely injured.
The court also found that the “highly unprofessional” conduct of ambulance paramedics, who left the scene without helping the victims, broke the causal chain linking the accused’s actions directly to the death.
Furthermore, the judge noted the prosecution failed to provide evidence, like a post-mortem report, to prove the victim could have survived with different medical care, thereby weakening the serious charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Additional Sessions Judge Ankit Garg ordered her release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, ruling that the prosecution’s case for the severe charge of “culpable homicide not amounting to murder” was on a “fragile foundation” at this stage. The decision hinged significantly on the court’s analysis of CCTV footage, which presented a sequence of events starkly different from the initial police report.
The court found that the CCTV footage critically weakened the prosecution’s narrative. Instead of a high-speed ramming from behind as alleged, the video showed the BMW losing control, hitting a divider, flipping over, and then tragically coming into contact with the motorcycle. This, the court noted, pointed more towards rash or negligent driving rather than an act implying knowledge of causing death. Furthermore, the footage revealed the “highly unprofessional” conduct of an ambulance crew that arrived instantly but left within 40 seconds without rendering any aid to the unconscious victims. The judge stated that this lapse by the paramedics, the first responders, “materially erodes the prosecution’s claim that the golden-hour loss is attributable solely, or even primarily, to the accused.”
While granting bail, the court imposed a set of stringent conditions to ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation. “Gagampreet Makkad is prohibited from tampering with evidence or contacting any staff from Nulife Hospital or the ambulance service involved in the case. She must surrender her passport, regularly report to the police, and appear for all court hearings.”
The court acknowledged the gravity of the incident, the death of Navjot Singh, but emphasised that bail is the norm and jail the exception, especially given the accused’s clean record, roots in the community, and the current lack of compelling evidence requiring her continued custody. The prosecution retains the right to seek cancellation of bail if any of these conditions are violated.
Advocate Pradeep Rana was appearing as the defense counsel in the matter.
