CHANDIGARH: local court has framed
charges against a
Punjabi music company owner and composer in the Sector 10 hit-and-run case in which a 75-year-old man was killed.
Subodh Kumar Gupta, a city businessman and a resident of Sector 4, was killed after he was hit by an SUV allegedly being driven by Harjasneet Singh Chahal, a resident of Bathinda, in front of Hotel Mountview on August 6, 2017.
The charges were framed under Sections 279 (rash driving) and 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to
murder) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC.
Initially, Chahal was booked under Section 304A, arrested and released on bail a few days after the incident. However, a month later, he was booked under Section 304 of the IPC. Gupta’s daughters had launched a campaign demanding he be booked under stricter charges and be rearrested. They also took to social media to drum up support, with many people, including Bollywood actor Sonu Sood signing up for their campaign on Facebook.
After Section 304 was added in September 2017, his bail was rejected and he was said to be absconding since then. Police in January had also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on Chahal. After the Supreme Court had dismissed his bail plea on March19, Chahal, surrendered in a local court on March 22.
