New Delhi, September 3: The Delhi High Court has made a significant remark regarding road accident cases, stating that merely driving at high speed is not sufficient to prove that a driver acted negligently or recklessly. The court clarified that the prosecution must demonstrate that the driver’s actions were indeed careless or inattentive.
Justice Chandrashekharan Sudha’s bench made this observation while dismissing the Delhi government’s appeal against a lower court’s decision that acquitted a tempo driver involved in a fatal accident in 2009.
The court noted, “Vehicles are designed to be driven fast. The fact that a vehicle was traveling at high speed does not, in itself, prove that the driver was negligent or inattentive. ‘High speed’ and ‘over speed’ are relative terms.”
The case dates back to November 12, 2009. According to the prosecution, a tempo allegedly collided with a bicycle while driving recklessly in the Naresh Park Extension area. A young man was riding with his mother when the tempo’s front wheel reportedly ran over the woman’s head, resulting in her immediate death.
The lower court acquitted the driver in August 2013. Subsequently, the Delhi government filed an appeal in the High Court in 2016.
The High Court stated that the deceased woman’s son was the only direct witness for the prosecution. He testified that the tempo was speeding and reckless, but he could not explain how the driver’s driving was negligent. He also failed to estimate the tempo’s speed.
The court emphasized that a mere fatality in a road accident does not automatically imply driver negligence.
The High Court pointed out that the prosecution should have presented solid evidence to clarify what “high speed” meant in the context of the case. Without sufficient evidence, driver negligence cannot be assumed based solely on the accident.
The court also highlighted several contradictions in the prosecution’s narrative. The witness claimed he fell on the road after the collision, yet there was no medical record of any injuries on his body. Additionally, a mechanical inspection of the vehicle revealed a minor dent on the left side of the tempo, while the witness’s account suggested a different scenario.
Considering these facts, the High Court concluded that the prosecution failed to prove the driver’s negligence or inattentiveness. The court upheld the trial court’s acquittal decision and dismissed the Delhi government’s appeal.
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