The Mapusa Additional Sessions Court has discharged truck driver Pramod Kashinath Gawas in connection with a fatal road accident dating back to April 2024, citing the absence of eyewitness testimony and insufficient evidence to establish criminal liability. The court cleared Gawas of all charges, including alleged rash driving and culpable homicide not amounting to murder, as well as relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.

According to the prosecution, on April 13, 2024, a truck allegedly being driven rashly from Thivim towards Assonora collided with an electric scooter travelling in the same direction. The prosecution alleged that the truck dragged the scooter and its rider for approximately 60 metres. The rider sustained severe facial and internal injuries and later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the District Hospital in Mapusa.

The truck driver allegedly fled the scene.
In its order allowing the discharge application, the court highlighted several critical gaps in the investigation and the chargesheet. The original complaint was filed by the police against an unknown driver, and there were no eyewitnesses to the accident. No CCTV footage was produced to substantiate the sequence of events or establish the speed of the vehicles.

Although investigators claimed that both vehicles were travelling in the same direction based on their post-impact positions, the court observed that a collision between a heavy vehicle and a lighter vehicle could cause a scooter to move in any direction. The court also noted that the scooter had sustained extensive frontal damage rather than damage consistent with a rear-end impact, raising unanswered questions about how the collision occurred. In addition, the chargesheet did not contain official Regional Transport Office (RTO) inspection reports detailing the damage to the truck or addressing any possible mechanical factors.

Observing that the available evidence failed to establish rashness or negligence, or conclusively prove that the accused was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, the court held that there was insufficient material to frame a prima facie case. The court accordingly discharged Gawas and closed the proceedings.