Mumbai, July 17, 2026: A Kurla Metropolitan Magistrate's court has acquitted a Navi Mumbai-based doctor who was facing charges of rash and negligent driving in connection with a 2020 road accident in Chembur, holding that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt due to crucial lapses in the investigation and lack of cogent evidence.
Judicial Magistrate First Class S. B. Pawar of the 57th Court, Kurla, acquitted Dr Motiram Ramji Khandode of offences punishable under sections connected with rash driving in connection with an FIR registered at Govandi Police Station.
The acquittal came after the doctor's defence counsel, Advocate Adnan Mookhtiar, argued that the prosecution had failed to produce substantial evidence to establish the allegations against his client.
Court Finds Gaps In Evidence
According to the prosecution, on September 8, 2020, complainant Jayakrishnan Shankar Thamal was riding his Honda Activa towards Sion when a Ford EcoSport allegedly driven by Khandode hit his scooter from behind near K-Star Mall on the Sion-Trombay Road, close to a Bharat Petroleum petrol pump in Chembur.
The complainant claimed that he sustained injuries to his left hand and leg, including a fracture near the knee, while his scooter was also damaged.
During the trial, the prosecution examined five witnesses, including the complainant, two police personnel, the investigating officer and the doctor who treated the injured.
However, the court found that the complainant, who was the sole eyewitness to the accident, had failed to adequately explain the manner in which the alleged offending vehicle was being driven or how the collision occurred. The court also noted that he did not mention the registration number of the Ford EcoSport during his testimony.
The magistrate further observed that the remaining witnesses were not eyewitnesses to the accident and their testimony was merely corroborative in nature.
The investigating officer admitted during cross-examination that the complainant's vehicle documents and medical records had not been filed along with the charge sheet. The vehicle inspection report was also not placed on record.
Defence Highlights Investigation Lapses
"My client was associated with Sion Government Hospital as a Medical Professor when the FIR was registered against him. Most of the evidence against him was hearsay in nature. Most of the witnesses were not independent witnesses and there was no independent eyewitness to the incident. There was also no CCTV footage of the accident produced before the court. These were the crucial factors that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt, ultimately leading to my client's acquittal," Advocate Mookhtiar said.
He further pointed out that the court had accepted the defence's contention regarding the considerable delay in lodging the FIR. "While the complainant stated that he had contracted COVID-19 after the accident and underwent treatment before approaching the police, the court observed that the prosecution failed to provide any convincing explanation for the delay in registering the complaint," Mookhtiar said, referring to the judgment.
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Holding that the prosecution had failed to establish that the accused drove the vehicle in a rash or negligent manner or that his actions caused the complainant's injuries and damage to the scooter, the court extended the benefit of doubt to Dr Khandode and acquitted him of all the charges.
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