Bombay HC Issues Notice On Marathi Actor Urmila Kothare's Plea For Transfer Of Probe In Accident Case; Directs Preservation Of CCTV Footage

Popular Marathi actor Urmila Kothare, whose speeding car hit a labourer and killed him in December 2024, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking transfer of the probe to the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Dr Neela Gokhale heard the matter on Wednesday (February 12) and issued notice to the respondents. The court also ordered the Police to preserve the CCTV footages and also the Mechanical Inspection Report of the car in question.

The actor, who too sustained injuries to her chin and eyelid, has claimed that the unfortunate accident took place in Mumbai's Kandivali area only because the contractor, constructing a Foot Over Bridge (FOB) outside the Poisar Metro Station, failed to put up any 'caution' or 'work in progress' board or signs. 

The petition filed through advocate Amarendra Mishra states that Kothare was returning from a shooting on December 28, 2024 midnight and her driver Gajanan Pal was driving the car at a regular speed, while she was asleep. It states that since there were no 'precautionary' signs on the road, where the Metro work was going on, and because of the presence of heavy machinery, and dash from other vehicles, the accident in question transpired and in fact even the driver lost consciousness in the said accident and was unable to narrate the exact sequence of events.

The petition highlights the fact that one of the labourers working at the site, died and the other sustained injuries. It further points out that even Kothare and her driver Pal got injured and were hospitalised. 

Subsequently, Pal was arrested by the police but was granted bail by a Magistrate court. 

In her plea, the actor has argued that the contractor ought to have taken extra precautions and safety measures to alter the vehicles in advance as soon as they pass towards the Poisar Metro station. However, the police is trying to 'protect' the contractor as despite the petitioners repeated requests to the investigating officer to disclose the exact reason due to which the alleged accident took place and to provide the CCTV footage of the said incident, nothing of this sort has been done, the plea alleged.

The petition states that despite Kothare informing the investigating officer that several CCTV cameras have been installed around the place of accident and that the same can be verified to identify the exact cause of the accident, the officer has only give 'evasive' responses. 

"It appears the IO is withholding true facts, which is creating reasonable apprehension to the fairness of the investigation. It appears that the alleged accident transpired due to the sheer negligence of the contractor (Skill Infrabuild LLP), which was doing the Metro work on the Western Express Highway without any proper indication and safety norms. The heavy machines like the JCB etc which were on the road at the time of the accident, were later on removed from the scene and no panchanama of the same was recorded," the plea contends. 

The matter has been adjourned till March 17.