Man Allegedly Tried To Run Over & Endanger Life Of A Constable Enforcing COVID Lockdown, Delhi High Court Denies Him Bail

The Delhi High Court last week denied bail to a man who allegedly tried to hit and run over a Constable (who was enforcing COVID Lockdown) in a manner so as to endanger his life.

The Bench of Justice Mukta Gupta was hearing the bail application of a petitioner under Sections 186/188/269/332/120B/308 IPC and Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act registered at PS Vasant Kunj, North, Delhi. 

The matter before the Court

As per the status report, Constable Inderjeet was performing his official duty on police picket on 21st April, 2021 at Mahipalpur and he was checking the vehicles and enforcing covid-19 curfew/lockdown conditions and checking the persons who were without the mask, and issuing challan.

Allegedly, at about 4.00 PM he came across a vehicle being Maruti Suzuki Ertiga coming towards the picket where two persons were sitting without a mask and so, Constable Inderjeet signalled the vehicle to stop and asked them to park the vehicle on the left side.

However, the petitioner who was driving the vehicle instead of following the directions accelerated the car and hit Constable Inderjeet and tried to run over him.

Thus, due to the impact, Constable Inderjeet fell on the bonnet of the car and then the petitioner increased the speed of the vehicle and drove the vehicle in a zig-zag manner resulting in Constable Inderjeet falling from the bonnet of his car at the divider of the road whereafter the petitioner and the co-accused who were in the car ran away.

Submissions made before the Court

The counsel for the petitioner stated that the petitioner had gone to drop his cousin at the airport and while on the way back his car, he was intercepted as the petitioner was without a mask.

He argued that the injuries to the police officer are simple in nature and that the petitioner would be available for any further investigation during the course of trial.

On the other hand, the APP for the State stated that the manner in which the petitioner drove away the car had been captured in the CCTV footage and that the police had stopped the vehicle only to enforce that the two persons sitting in the car wear the mask.

However, he added, while the officer was on duty and tried to stop the vehicle instead of stopping the vehicle the petitioner accelerated the car and hit Ct. Inderjeet and tried to run over him.

Lastly, denying him the benefit of Bail, the Court remarked,

"Considering the conduct of the petitioner in not only not stopping on being asked by the constable but hitting and running over in a manner so as to endanger his life, this Court finds no ground to grant bail to the petitioner at this stage."

Case title - Ram Kumar v. State Of Delhi [BAIL APPLN. 1589/2021]

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