 Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 22: In a sensational case that has shaken Jammu, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court on Friday rejected the bail plea of 19-year-old Mannan Anand, accused of brutally running over a 68-year-old man with a Mahindra Thar in Gandhi Nagar. The court termed the act not just rash driving but a deliberate attempt to murder, captured on CCTV in broad daylight.
On July 27, Anand was allegedly driving his Thar (JK02DP-9594) recklessly near Green Belt Park, Gandhi Nagar, when he rammed into a Scooty (JK02BS-6435) ridden by senior citizen Kamal Kant Dutt. Eyewitnesses and CCTV footage revealed a chilling sequence: instead of stopping, the accused reversed the SUV and ran over the victim a second time as he tried to get up. The incident left Dutt grievously injured; he was first shifted to GMC Jammu and later referred to Fortis Hospital, Chandigarh, where he remains in a critical condition.
While dismissing the bail application, CJM Preet Simran Kour Grover noted that the case went beyond a simple accident. “The act of reversing the vehicle over a helpless senior citizen shows prima facie deliberate intent to kill,” the order observed, adding that such road rage incidents posed a grave threat to public peace and security.
The court further remarked that granting bail at this stage would “send wrong signals to society” and embolden others to take law into their own hands. The judge cited the brutality of the act, public trauma, and the victim’s precarious health as reasons for denying bail.
The bail plea was argued by Advocate Ranbir Singh, counsel for the accused. He contended that Anand, a young engineering student with no past criminal record, had surrendered to police voluntarily and was being victimised due to public pressure and media coverage. Counsel cited Supreme Court judgments emphasising bail as a rule, not an exception.
On the other hand, Vikram Parihar, Public Prosecutor for the UT, strongly opposed the bail plea. Supporting him, Advocate Sachin Gupta, appearing on behalf of the victim, argued that the offence was heinous, non-bailable, and amounted to an “attempted murder in broad daylight.” They stressed that the accused’s conduct—fleeing the scene after crushing the victim—posed a risk of tampering with evidence and intimidating witnesses.
The CCTV footage of the incident, widely circulated on social media and news channels, has sparked public anger across Jammu. Citizens and civil society groups have demanded stringent punishment, calling the act “a crime against humanity.”
After hearing both sides, CJM Grover observed: “Running over the victim a second time reflects deliberate intent. Such incidents are a grave threat to public peace and must be dealt with firmly.” The court said that the seriousness of the crime, the victim’s precarious health, and the stage of investigation did not justify grant of bail. (JNF) |
