Mumbai: A sessions court recently rejected the bail plea of a 41-year-old businessman, who is accused of fatally injuring a four-year-old boy, by ramming his speeding SUV into him in the basement of his housing society in Malad East last month. Jatrara allegedly left the scene without providing medical assistance to the child.The court observed that the accused, Ramesh Jatrara, had knowledge that children were playing in the parking area and that driving without care in high speed could cause fatal injuries., The judge also pointed to the statement of the boy’s cousin who had alleged that the accused threatened to kill him over a parking dispute. “Considering the seriousness of the offence, if at this stage the applicant is released on bail, then it will cause hurdle in the investigation and the possibility of the applicant fleeing justice…cannot be discarded. Therefore, for the above reasons, in my view, the applicant is not entitled for bail,” judge YMH Kharadi said. While the bail was rejected on March 6, the detailed order was made public on March 9. The incident occurred around 4.30 pm on Feb 7, 2026, within a residential parking lot in Malad East. According to the prosecution, Jatrara drove his vehicle in a rash and negligent manner, hitting the child and subsequently leaving the scene without providing medical assistance. While Jatrara was initially granted bail by a holiday remand court for bailable offences, his inability to furnish a surety kept him in magisterial custody. During this period, the police recorded a statement from the deceased child’s cousin, who alleged that Jatrara had previously threatened to kill him following a dispute over parking. Following this new evidence, the investigating officer added Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. “Therefore, there is intention of applicant to cause hurt to the family members of the deceased. It is submitted that as a part even though the applicant has knowledge that the children are playing in the parking area, but with knowledge he has drew his vehicle knowing that any incident will happen then there will be likely to cause death, accordingly he gave dash and the cousin brother died,” the prosecution submitted. The prosecution further submitted that releasing Jatrara would allow him to tamper with evidence or flee from justice, especially since the investigation is still ongoing and the victim’s family remains in deep shock.The defence lawyers argued that the incident was a tragic accident rather than an intentional act. It was claimed that Jatrara had actually assisted in taking the victim to the hospital and that the more serious charges were only added due to pressure from the deceased’s relatives. The defence further submitted that CCTV footage did not clearly show children playing at the time and that Jatrara, as a permanent resident with high social standing, posed no flight risk.Referring to the allegations that the accused ignored the known presence of children in the area, the judge noted that the investigation must be allowed to proceed without interference.The court noted the submissions of prosecution and the intervener,the child’s family, concluding that the gravity of the newly added charges outweighed the applicant’s pleas for release.
