INRC 2019: Gaurav Gill granted bail in Jodhpur rally case

Team OD Updated: October 24, 2019, 04:08 AM IST

Indian rally driver Gaurav Gill has been granted bail by the Jodhpur Court. This, after Gill was booked under Section 304A, following the tragic accident at the 2019 Rally of Jodhpur.

The Jodhpur Rally, the third round of the 2019 Indian National Rally Championship season, had to be abandoned early on, following the incident in which Gill's Mahindra XUV300 made contact with three people on a motorcycle who had forcibly entered the live rally stage. All three people - two adults and one minor - lost their lives.

Following the incident, Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif had been reportedly booked under Section 304 of the IPC - culpable homicide not amounting to murder. It has since been clarified that the case against him has been booked under Section 304A - death due to negligence - following the findings of the investigation team.

A statement issued by Gill's spokesperson declared that Gill "appeared before the Court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate- Siwana, Jodhpur and the learned court on considering the totality of facts and circumstances granted him bail pending trial."

The statement also made it clear that Gill had been extending his full cooperation with the investigation, and had not been absconding, as was reported incorrectly by certain sections of the media. He subsequently made an appearance in court, when requested to do so, on the 19th of October, which is when the investigating team found that the incident was an accident, and not a case of culpable homicide.

While Mahindra Adventure, the team Gill drives for in the INRC, had initially decided to skip the next round of the championship, the Rally of Kochi, they have since reconsidered. The team, along with drivers Gill and Amittrajit Ghosh, have now signed on for the remaining three rounds of the championship. In addition, Mahindra will work with the FMSCI to promote road safety in the country.