Nagpur, India- Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Friday that the Maharashtra government plans to file a chargesheet next week in the Ram Jhula accident case through the Tehsil police. He also said the government would ask the court to speed up the case.

The Ram Jhula accident case is getting more attention after the recent Pune Porsche accident, which caused national outrage. In contrast, the Ram Jhula incident, where a speeding Mercedes killed two young men, has seen little progress over the past three months. The main suspect, Ritika Maloo, is still missing. Fadnavis mentioned that police teams have been searching for Maloo in Rajasthan, suspecting she fled to attend a family event. “The investigation is moving in the right direction,” said Fadnavis. However, opposition leaders criticized the government and Fadnavis for not taking action sooner. They claim the police are under pressure not to act against the accused, who was reportedly drunk when her car hit the victims' scooter on February 25 at midnight.

Former home minister Anil Deshmukh said Fadnavis should have called a meeting of officials after such a serious incident. “A three-month delay is unacceptable in such cases, and the accused is still missing or absconded? The victims' families deserve justice. Justice has been slow which is not good. we spoke with the police commissioner in a similar case, where the accused was allowed to go. There is a chance that a mix-up with the blood sample report, like in Pune, could have happened in Nagpur. The police must investigate all possibilities and arrest the accused as soon as possible,” he told the media.

Congress district chief Rajendra Mulak criticized the police for their slow handling of the case, blaming it on poor management. “The police should have used CCTV footage and other evidence to build a strong case, not let him down with such poor investigations. If Pune police can solve their case quickly, there is no excuse for the delays in the Ram Jhula case, where two innocent people were killed and the accused is still free,” Mulak said.

Shahbaz Siddiqui, former vice president of Congress’ minority cell, criticized the police for letting the accused escape and mishandling evidence. He called for action against the police sub-inspector involved. “Both the accused were very drunk and could not stand properly after the accident. The PSI should have detained the accused and conducted an immediate alcohol test. Instead, he let them leave, delaying the tests by over six hours. This mishandling suggests biased” Siddiqui, who is also a lawyer, told the media. He urged the police to intensify their search for Maloo and question her family about her whereabouts.