MUMBAI: Escalating her legal battle, Minal Patel, the wife of Dhrumil Patel who died in the February 5 Vidyavihar crash, has approached the Children’s Court seeking cancellation of bail granted to the 17-year-old accused. She has alleged a pattern of dangerous driving and attempts to destroy evidence.
In her plea, filed on Wednesday through advocate Ruben Mascarenhas, she has argued that the Juvenile Justice Board’s March 6 bail order to the teen overlooked key material, including his alleged history of performing and sharing risky stunts on social media.
The application states that the case is not a routine accident and falls within the “defeat of ends of justice” exception to bail, warranting continued custody.
According to police, the minor allegedly rammed a scooter carrying the couple in Vidyavihar around 11:15pm on February 5, leaving both critically injured. Dhrumil died on February 15, following which police invoked culpable homicide not amounting to murder, along with other charges under the Motor Vehicles Act.
The petitioner has cited the minor’s alleged social media activity, claiming he regularly posted videos of risky stunts including “wheelies”, hanging out of moving cars and roof-top antics.
The plea argues that such actions reflect a pattern of behaviour showing disregard for safety and should have been considered while deciding bail. It terms the Juvenile Justice Board’s decision to treat such prior conduct as irrelevant as legal error.
It also alleges that the minor deleted his Instagram accounts during the probe, terming it evidence tampering and a sign that he could interfere with the investigation if allowed to remain on bail.
The plea further refers to an alleged ₹40 lakh offer made to the victim’s family, calling it an “unambiguous attempt to use financial resources to subvert criminal proceedings”. It warns that the teen’s family’s financial capacity makes the existing bail conditions insufficient to prevent witness intimidation.
Seeking cancellation of bail, Minal has urged the court to send the minor to an observation home pending trial, or impose stricter safeguards.
The move comes days after she approached the Bombay High Court challenging the March 4 sessions court order which granted bail to the teen’s father, the car owner. The plea argued that he was aware of and enabled the minor’s actions.