Mumbai: A city court on Wednesday granted bail to a businessman whose minor son allegedly caused a fatal car accident last month, with the judge noting that evidence suggests the father was unaware the teenager had taken the vehicle.

Additional Sessions Judge R.M. Jadhav approved the release on a Rs 50,000 bond. The court’s decision rested primarily on a witness statement from a security guard at the businessman’s residence.

The collision occurred February 5 near Somaiya College in the Ghatkopar district. Police allege the minor was operating a Kia Seltos when it struck a scooter, killing the rider, Dhrumil Patel, and seriously injuring his wife, Meenal. The teenager has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The father was taken into custody February 10 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions for rash driving and endangering safety, along with violations of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Defence counsel Manish Singh argued that his client was not present during the crash and had no prior knowledge of his son's actions. However, Public Prosecutor P.B. Bankar countered that the father was negligent for allowing his unlicensed son access to the vehicle.

Advocate Ruben Mascarenhas, representing the victim’s family, further alleged that the businessman was aware of his son's history of posting reckless driving stunts on Instagram. Mascarenhas also claimed the accused attempted to settle the matter with a 40-lakh-rupee payment and alleged that the minor’s social media records had been manipulated.

In the bail order, Judge Jadhav cited the building watchman's testimony, which detailed the night of the accident.

According to the order, the juvenile approached the watchman at 10:15 p.m. and requested the car keys. The watchman admitted to handing them over without question because the boy was the owner's son. The court noted that when the father later discovered the car was missing from the lot, he questioned the guard and only then learned his son had taken it.

"Prima facie, the material on record thus goes to show that the applicant/accused was not having knowledge of the fact that at the time of incident, his son took the vehicle, which is required to be noted here," the court held.

As a condition of his release, the businessman is prohibited from leaving Mumbai without judicial consent and is barred from contacting witnesses.

With inputs from PTI