Mumbai: Court Denies Bail To Congress MP Chandrakant Handore's Son In Chembur Hit-And-Run Case

Mumbai: In the hit-and-run case involving Ganesh Handore, son of Congress MP and former Social Justice Minister Chandrakant Handore, the court denied the accused's bail application on October 15.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, October 5, when Ganesh Handore was reportedly driving from Chembur West to East to buy “juice.” According to Govandi police, as he neared Acharya College on Narayan Gajanan Acharya Marg in Vaibhav Nagar, his car struck a motorcycle ridden by Gopal Arote, a Chembur resident. Instead of assisting Arote, Ganesh fled the scene, leaving the victim on the road in a bloodied and helpless state.

After the incident was reported, and while Arote was admitted to the ICU, police traced Ganesh using CCTV footage and arrested him. However, Ganesh reportedly felt dizzy at the police station and was subsequently admitted to JJ Hospital after doctors noted that his blood pressure had spiked.

In his plea, Handore claimed that he is highly diabetic and may have experienced transient vision loss while driving. However, the police opposed this argument, stating that he was speeding on a narrow road, failed to assist the victim, and did not report the incident to the nearest police station. They also noted that Arote, who is currently admitted to Zen Multi Speciality Hospital, remains in critical condition. The court, in its order, stated, “The material on record shows that the applicant accused, after hitting the injurer's vehicle, did not stop and proceeded ahead at the same high speed, dragging the injured, which speaks volumes about his actions in committing the alleged offence,” further adding that Handore’s blood test results, to determine if he was under the influence of alcohol while driving, are still pending.

The FIR was registered by Arote’s sister in which Ganesh has been charged under sections 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 125A (act endangering life or personal safety of others causing hurt), 125B (grievous hurt). 281 (rash or negligent driving in a public way) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and sections 134 (duty of driver in case of accident and injury to a person) and 184 (dangerous driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Ganesh is still admitted to the hospital, receiving treatment, while police await the arrival of the blood test reports. The court has instructed the police to record the eyewitness statement and gather additional evidence to be included in the case's chargesheet.