Panchkula, Sept. 25 -- Investigation lapses-including failure to photograph the accident spot, document skid marks, road damage, and show the allegedly struck stone-came under sharp scrutiny as a Kalka court acquitted a Morni resident in a 2022 fatal road accident case.

Sub-divisional judicial magistrate Abhimanyu Rajput, in a judgment pronounced on September 15, observed that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Lekh Raj was driving the Ertiga rashly or negligently when it overturned near Burj Kotian, resulting in the death of passenger Mukesh Kumar.

The court specifically termed the lack of a photograph of the accident spot on record a "fundamental mistake" in the investigation. It also noted that the site plan...