Court doesn't accept chargesheet due to Jahnavi Gadkar's absence

The Kurla Metropolitan court on Friday refused to accept the RCF police's chargesheet in the Jahnavi Gadkar drunk driving case, as the accused was not present in the court at the time. According to law, when the chargesheet is filed in the court, a copy is handed over to the accused.

According to sources in the police station, the 560-page chargesheet includes statements of 105 witnesses. The RCF police have also heavily relied on forensic evidence and medical report.

"We have 105 witnesses in the case and have been able to establish the entire sequence of events on the fateful night. We have a star witness, who saw the accident taking place, along with drivers of other cars that Gadkar dodged before ramming into a taxi," said a police officer. He added, "We also have reports from RTO, where Gadkar's car was inspected after the accident, along with medical reports that clearly state that she was under the influence of alcohol when the accident took place."

To make the case watertight, the RCF police have also recorded the statement of RCF colony guard T R Betkar, who was knocked down by Gadkar just a couple of days before the accident. "We have also attained clarity on the way Gadkar was travelled that evening. She was on the north-bound stretch from CST. At Panjarpol junction, she took a U-turn and started driving towards south mumbai. When she reached near Bhakti Park, she realised she was going the wrong way, took a U-turn, and started travelling towards Chembur," said the officer.