Panchkula, April 19 -- While acquitting a man in a 2023 fatal accident case, a Panchkula court observed that rashness and negligence cannot be presumed merely because an accident resulted in a death. The court held that the driver cannot be assumed to be rash or negligent without clear evidence, noting that with the tremendous rise in traffic, such accidents have become frequent. However, the prosecution must specifically establish and prove what act of negligence or rashness the accused committed that led to the accident.

The court of the additional chief judicial magistrate acquitted Gopal, a resident of village Beer Ghaggar in Chandimandir, who had been booked by the Chandimandir police under Sections 279 (rash driving on a public way...