Mumbai: Observing that prima facie the material on record goes to show that the accused did not have knowledge of the fact that at the time of the incident his son took the vehicle, a sessions court on Wednesday granted bail to the father of a 17-year-old who rammed his car into a scooter and caused the death of a 33-year-old Ghatkopar businessman, Dhrumil Patel.“Considering the nature and gravity of the offence and role of the accused, I found that the… accused can be released on bail upon certain terms and conditions. The appropriate conditions can be imposed upon the… accused taking into account the apprehension of the prosecution,” judge R M Jadhav said. The defence claimed the accused (43) offered Rs 40 lakh for medical expenses during a community-led meeting, while the victim’s side allegedly demanded a Rs 15 crore settlement. The accused claimed they had a formal police complaint regarding this high demand. The court declined to comment on these settlement negotiations at this stage of the proceedings.Based on the complaint filed by Dhrumil’s uncle, Mahesh Patel, Tilak Nagar police had registered a case and investigations had revealed that the SUV was being driven by a minor. Police had arrested the boy and his father for allegedly allowing him to drive the vehicle.The incident, which occurred near Somaiya College in Vidhyavihar on Feb 5, 2026, resulted in the death of Dhrumil and left his wife, Meenal Patel, with serious injuries. The minor’s father was arrested on Feb 10, 2026, facing charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act for allegedly allowing his son, a child in conflict with law, to operate the vehicle without a valid license. During the proceedings, the prosecution and the intervener’s lawyer opposed the bail, pointing to an Instagram account. It was submitted that the account featured videos of the teenager performing dangerous stunts, such as riding a motorcycle on a single wheel and driving a car while hanging out of the window. The intervener contended these posts proved the father had full knowledge of his son’s reckless driving habits. Further, allegations were raised that the family attempted to settle the matter by offering Rs 40 lakh to the victims’ family and incriminating social media history was deleted while the father was in custody.However, the defense argued the father had no knowledge that his son had taken the vehicle on the night of the accident. Evidence provided by a security guard at the family’s residence supported this claim. The guard stated the father had parked the car and handed over the keys at 9.30 pm and the teenager later took the keys from the guard without his father’s permission. The sessions court observed that the primary legal question was whether the teenager took the vehicle with the specific permission of the father at the time of the incident. “Prima facie, the material on record thus goes to show that the accused was not having knowledge of the fact that at the time of incident his son took the vehicle which is required to be noted here,” the judge said. As part of the release conditions, the father is prohibited from entering the Ghatkopar area until the trial concludes, must surrender his passport, and is required to attend the Tilak Nagar police station twice a week for one month.
