Mumbai based businessman Salim Sabuwala and high profile corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar were both celebrating at the same time – at different parts of Mumbai. Salim’s son scored 90% in the SSC examination while Janhavi and her team bagged a prestigious project for their law firm. They were worlds apart. But little did they know that their destiny would literally ‘collide’ on that fateful night of 9th June 2015.
Janhavi drove a luxurious Audi Q3 while the Sabuwalas were riding a taxi. Janhavi had downed a few pegs of expensive whisky and the Sabuwalas had a sumptuous meal. Janhavi was driving through the wrong side of the Eastern Freeway for 11 long kilometers while the Sabuwalas drove for around 5-6 kms towards the right direction. The Audi was driven at more than 120kmph, whereas the taxi was well under the permissible speed limits. There was perhaps nothing common between them that could have intertwined their lives in such a way, perhaps apart from the time and the venue. At around 1 am, Janhavi lost complete control of her car and rammed into the taxi rode by the Sabuwalas, killing Salim and the driver (Abdul Sayed) and injuring the rest of the Sabuwalas.
Police had to wait to arrest her until the day broke out, since as per the law a woman couldn’t be arrested at night. She was so much drunk that she passed out in the police station. She admitted her guilt when she was sober. She even admitted that she was too drunk to even recognize the road, let alone how she was driving.
She was a lawyer, but she did not even hesitate a bit the break the law. How could she even think of driving while she was under the influence of alcohol? She was supposed to be the “so-called protector of truth”, but she could easily lie about the number of pegs that she consumed. Why didn’t she stop the car? Why did she drive on?
We do not want to listen to another ‘Salman Khan’ case here.
There must not be any sympathy shown to this woman. She must be charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. She must be brought into justice with an exemplary punishment in a fast track court. She may have committed an unintentional mistake as some would say, but as such a high-profile lawyer; she should have at least shown some signs of maturity and of being a responsible citizen. Every mistake has a price to pay for. Unfortunately here the price of her mistake is being paid by someone else.
It is no one but because of her and only her recklessness and irresponsibility, two families have suffered irreplaceable losses. Both of the deceased were the head of the family. Because of her, these two families are put at this juncture of mental trauma and suffering.
We know what could happen though. She is from an elite background. Her family would leave no stone unturned to prove her ‘innocence’. They would definitely hire the best of the lot for her defense (who do not either have a conscience or face any question about moral dilemma of supporting a killer).
May be they would buy the witnesses. May be they would be successful to close the case through out-of-court settlement. May be they would even prove the deceased were the actual guilty party behind the accident. May be they would make a complete mockery of our judicial system (as they always do, don’t they?)
Yes, they could probably do everything they would like using power and money, but they cannot bring back the dead and they can never compensate enough which equates to a human life.
She might get released on bail or she might even get acquitted, but she will never be forgiven. And she will remain a murderer for the rest of her life.
Down with Janhavi Gadkar, the ‘Audi Killer’.
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