Court Rejects Prosecution’s Plea to Re-arrest Ritu Maloo in Ram Jhula Hit-and-Run Case
Nagpur, India- On Tuesday, Judicial Magistrate First Class Archana Khedkar-Garad once again denied the prosecution's request to allow Tehsil Police to re-arrest Ritu alias Ritika Dinesh Maloo in the Ram Jhula hit-and-run case.
Tehsil Police wanted to re-arrest Maloo, who drove her Mercedes car under the influence of alcohol and crashed into an Activa scooter, killing two young men, Mohd Hussain Gulam Mustafa and Mohd Ateef Mohd Ziad, early on February 25. Maloo was arrested that same day in the evening and was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act. She was granted bail after appearing in court.
On March 2, the police added non-bailable charges to the case. They then asked permission to cancel her bail and arrest her again, but the court denied this request on April 3. The police appealed to the Sessions Court, which scheduled a hearing for July 12. Maloo’s request for anticipatory bail was denied by both the Sessions Court and the High Court. She surrendered to the Tehsil Police on 2nd July Monday, who took her custody from the court the next day. However, the court released Maloo, calling her arrest ‘unlawful’ and criticizing the police.
The Tehsil Police then filed a petition to overturn the court's order, but later withdrew it and asked the JMFC Court again for permission to re-arrest Maloo. Defence lawyers argued that the court had no power to review its order and that the prosecution's actions were improper.
The court, after hearing both sides, rejected the prosecution's request to re-arrest Maloo. Additional Public Prosecutors Adv Rashmi Khaparde and Adv Megha Burunge represented the State.
