MSU law student Rakshit Chaurasiya was denied bail for a deadly Vadodara crash that killed one and injured seven. Court cited reckless driving under drug influence and lack of remorse.
The Vadodara court has rejected the regular bail plea of 21-year-old law student Rakshit Chaurasiya from MS University in the Karelibaug accident case that happened on March 13.
The court noted that Chaurasiya “had the knowledge” that “speeding through a residential area” during the Holi festival, while under the influence of “psychotropic drugs,” could put many lives in danger.
According to the police, Chaurasiya was driving a Volkswagen Virtus at a very high speed of 140 kmph. He was reportedly under the influence of a combination of THC (Tetra-Hydro Cannabinol, which is found in cannabis) and Codeine at the time of the accident.
Vadodara District Government Pleader Anil Desai strongly opposed the bail plea in court. He argued that under the newly introduced Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, the usual punishment under Section 105 (for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), which is 10 years, can be increased to life imprisonment if the trial court decides so.
Desai told the court,
“Our argument was based on the fact that the accused, being a law student, was aware of the legal consequences of such an act, where he was speeding at 140 kmph through a residential area on the night of a festival (Holi) and also driving under heavy influence of psychotropic drugs, as the FSL report has confirmed.”
He also said that the court looked into the behavior of Chaurasiya after the accident.
Desai added,
“We told the court that along with the accident case, he is also under investigation for the NDPS case lodged against him, his co-passenger and car owner’s son Praanshu Chauhan and a third friend Suresh Bharwad, at whose rented apartment they had consumed the drugs…”
The Vadodara city police submitted a detailed affidavit through Police Inspector HM Vyas of Karelibaug police station. The police informed the court that they had collected blood samples of the three individuals – Chaurasiya, Chauhan, and Bharwad – right after the accident and sent them to the forensic laboratory in Gandhinagar.
The police said,
“The police had collected the blood samples of the three (NDPS case) accused – Chaurasiya, Chauhan and Bharwad — at the time of the accident and sent the same to the forensic laboratory in Gandhinagar. The FSL report confirmed the presence of Tetra-Hydro Cannabinol (THC) and Codeine in the bloodstream and determined that the accused was under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident. All three persons have been booked in a separate case of NDPS.”
Another important piece of evidence submitted by the police was the Event Data Recorder (EDR) report from Volkswagen, the German car company. This report confirmed that Chaurasiya was driving at 140 kmph at the time of the crash. He had crashed into three two-wheelers, which led to the tragic death of one woman and left seven others seriously injured.
After the accident, locals caught hold of Chaurasiya at the spot. He was arrested and has been in judicial custody since March 17.
Desai pointed out that,
Chaurasiya’s behavior after the incident was not at all regretful. “We told the court that along with the accident case, he is also under investigation for the NDPS case lodged against him…”
Additionally, Desai noted that Chaurasiya even gave interviews to media persons while he was still in police custody, which the police also highlighted in their arguments against granting him bail.
Meanwhile, a revision petition filed by the Vadodara police against the release of Praanshu Chauhan, who had earlier been let go by a local court after he claimed “illegal detention,” is still pending.
Desai confirmed that
“the revision petition filed by the Vadodara police in the case of Chauhan — who was released by a local court after a petition contending ‘illegal detention’ — will be next heard on April 29.”
This serious case has drawn public attention not only because of the tragic accident but also because it involves drug use, reckless driving, and lack of remorse. The legal proceedings are ongoing, and further developments are awaited.
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