Justice K. Sujana of Telangana High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by Mohammad Raheel Aamir, son of Bodhan’s former BRS MLA Shakeel, seeking to quash a trial court order permitting further investigation into a fatal road accident in which he was made the prime accused by the Jubilee Hills police.
The judge observed that “there are no illegalities or infirmities” in the order issued by the VXII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Nampally on March 19, 2024 “permitting the prosecution to proceed with a further investigation”.
On December 23 of 2023, a speeding car rammed into the steel barricade before the then Telangana Chief Minister’s camp-office-cum-residence (now Praja Bhavan) at Somajiguda.
The Punjagutta police registered a case and arrested a person called Abdul Asif of Maharashtra – holding him responsible for the accident. However, police officials eventually found that it was Aamir who drove the car that ploughed into the barricade. By then Aamir allegedly flew abroad. After inquiries, the higher-ups suspended Punjagutta police station Inspector B. Durga Rao on charges that he helped Aamir cover-up the accident.
While examining some persons connected to the case, the West zone police got a tip-off that Aamir was also earlier involved in another road accident in the year 2022 in which he rammed his car into a woman carrying her toddler son at Jubilee Hills. The boy got flung into air and died after hitting the ground. West zone DCP Vijay Kumar constituted special teams to inquire into the reports.
The West zone police filed a criminal miscellaneous petition in the XVII ACMM court seeking permission to conduct further investigation in the Jubilee Hills fatal road accident case involving Aamir. With the court allowing the same, Aamir moved the HC challenging the order of the lower court.
Pronouncing the verdict, Justice K. Sujana observed that when Section 156(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code stated that a magistrate empowered under Section 190 may order an investigation, such magistrate may also order further investigation under Section 173 (8). The Judge also noted that Section 173(8) of Cr.P.C. provided that filing of charge sheet does not preclude the police from conducting further investigation.
Published – November 02, 2024 10:11 pm IST
