Actor Bikram Chatterjee, who was earlier accused of causing death due to negligence has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the car accident in which model Sonika Chauhan was killed.
Bikram was driving the ill-fated car in which Sonika was accompanying him. The car met with an accident after it hit against a roadside railing near Lake Mall in the wee hours of April 29.
The police had initiated a case on charges of causing death by negligence under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and rash driving, 279 IPC. Sonika's maternal uncle had lodged a complaint with Tollygunge police station alleging that Bikram was in an inebriated state when he was driving the car and it resulted in the accident and demanded murder charges be slapped on him.
At the same time, forensic experts have also carried out necessary tests and have given the reports stating that the car was at a speed of
something between 95 to 115 km per hour.
After getting the forensic report, the police had approached the Alipore Court and had placed a petition to amend the said section. After receiving the court's permission, the police amended the charge and booked Bikram on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 IPC.
Under section 304A IPC, the punishment would be imprisonment for a maximum term of two years while it would go up to ten years if he is found guilty on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 IPC.
Moreover, while giving statement to the police, Bikram had claimed that he was not driving the car at a speed above 100 km per hour. He had also stated that he was drunk but in a state to drive the car properly. Now, the forensic report has confirmed that the speed of the car was more than 100 km per hour during the accident.