Mumbai: The Mumbai police has opposed the bail application of Sumer Merchant, 23, arrested for running over Rajalakshmi Vijay on Worli Seaface on March 19, and said in its response filed before a sessions court that his blood alcohol report received from the Kalina laboratory shows there was 137mg per 100ml of blood.
The permissible limit as per the Motor Vehicles Act is 30mg, making the alcohol content over four times the limit.
Police also probing if there was foul play
The police had recently added the charge under section 184 (driving dangerously) of the Motor Vehicles Act. It stated in its response filed before the court that Merchant’s urine and blood samples had been sent to the forensic laboratory and it has received the blood report which shows the alcohol at 137mg per 100ml and hence the addition of charge.
The police also stated that the victim was the CEO of Altrust Customer Management India Pvt. Ltd. They are also probing if there was foul play and that it is essential to make a detailed investigation on that front. The police further stated that the incident took place in the morning hours when the victim was jogging and joggers’ groups are outraged. They also said that it could send a wrong signal to society if the accused is released on bail. The reply stated that if he’s granted bail, the public would have no fear of the judiciary and law.
The victim’s husband meanwhile intervened in the bail proceedings to oppose it and sought to be heard, which the court permitted. The 60-year-old has said in his plea that the accident, as reported by eyewitnesses, was gruesome and deadly and the witnesses themselves are in deep shock. He said that as per these accounts, Merchant did not stop the car after his wife was thrown in the air and landed on his car after the accident; he tried to flee and drove the car another 100 metres.
