Delhi BMW Crash: Accused Gaganpreet Kaur Remanded To 2-Day Judicial Custody

New Delhi: The accused woman, Gaganpreet Kaur, in the high-profile BMW crash case, which claimed the life of a Deputy Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Navjot Singh, has been sent to a two-day judicial custody. The legal battle surrounding the accused driver intensified after the accident, which occurred on Sunday near the Delhi Cantonment metro station in Dhaula Kuan.

According to the police, Navjot Singh (52) was riding his motorcycle with his wife when a BMW driven by Gaganpreet Kaur hit it. As per allegations, despite his wife's pleas to take the critically injured Navjot to the nearest hospital for immediate medical attention, Gaganpreet chose to transport the couple to a hospital nearly 20 km away in GTB Nagar. The victim's family alleged that the delay led to the loss of Navjot's life.

Meanwhile, Gaganpreet, who has been remanded to two days of judicial custody, filed a bail plea, while the complainant's counsel pushes for police custody.

Accused Bail Plea To Be Heard On September 17

On Monday, Gaganpreet Kaur, the woman accused of causing the fatal crash involving a BMW in Delhi, was produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate and remanded to two days of judicial custody. Complainant's counsel Ishan Dewan stated that while the accused's counsel opposed judicial custody, arguing for police custody instead, the complainant's side will oppose Gaganpreet's bail application and file a reply. The matter will be taken up on September 17.

The accident occurred on Sunday when Gaganpreet's BMW hit Navjot Singh's motorcycle near the Delhi Cantonment metro station on Ring Road. Singh, who was returning from Bangla Sahib Gurdwara with his wife Sandeep Kaur, died in the incident, while his wife sustained severe injuries. Gaganpreet has denied any wrongdoing, telling police she took the injured couple to Nulife Hospital in GTB Nagar because her daughter had been treated there during the pandemic. However, Sandeep Kaur alleged in her complaint that Gaganpreet deliberately avoided taking her husband to the nearest hospital despite repeated requests and took them to a hospital nearly 20 km away from the spot.

Gaganpreet's father, Javinder Singh, was a director of the hospital, where the victim was taken by the accused driver, leading police to consider whether the choice of hospital was influenced by this connection. The Delhi Police have filed a case against Gaganpreet under sections including rash driving, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and destruction of evidence. Gaganpreet claimed she had no idea how the accident happened.

What Victim’s Family Stated

The decision has raised questions, with allegations surfacing that the choice of hospital was deliberate and was to affect the outcome for the victims.

Navjot Singh was pronounced dead upon arrival at Nulife Hospital, whilst his wife endured multiple fractures and head injuries necessitating 14 stitches. The victim's wife, in a statement to the police, alleged that she implored Gaganpreet Kaur to convey them to the nearest medical centre, but was instead taken to the more distant Nulife Hospital. "After the accident, I repeatedly requested to be taken to the nearest hospital, but instead, we were taken to GTB Nagar, where I was left waiting on a stretcher. Later, I was shifted to another hospital," she told police.

Navnoor Singh, son of the deceased Navjot Singh, asserted that his father's life could have been saved had they been taken to a nearby superspeciality hospital like AIIMS. "The accident happened around 1 or 1.30 pm. A girl driving a BMW hit my parents' motorcycle. They were taken to a hospital 20 km away, which had no facilities. My father was declared dead there... If they had been sent to a superspeciality hospital near Dhaula Kuan or AIIMS, he could have been saved," Navnoor told ANI.

Ishan Dewan, advocate for the deceased Navjot Singh, emphasised the gravity of the situation, stating, "... The police demanded judicial custody and not police custody. The court has granted judicial custody for two days. The lawyer of the accused has moved a bail application today... What is important right now is that the unfortunate incident that has happened should not happen again... We will present all facts in the court..." Dewan also outlined the questionable decision-making in the aftermath of the crash. "It was not just an accident of two minutes. It was an episode of a couple of hours. The decision they took was not to take the victim to a hospital, which was a minute away; instead, he was taken far away. This shows their mental and decision-making condition."

Police Awaiting Toxicology Reports

Notably, the Delhi Police received a call from Nulife Hospital regarding one fatality and one injured person. An FIR was registered under sections 281, 125B, 105, and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to rash driving, causing death by negligence, endangering life, and disappearance of evidence.

Additional DCP (South-West) Abhimanyu Poswal indicated that investigations are ongoing, including awaiting toxicology reports to ascertain if alcohol was a factor and examining CCTV footage for evidence of overspeeding. "We are waiting for the toxicology report to check for a drunk-driving angle. CCTV footage is being verified to confirm overspeeding. Regarding the tampering of evidence, she should have taken the victims to the nearest hospital and informed police," the police official stated.

Further details regarding the deadly BMW crash are awaited.