Kalikaprasad death: Accused driver gets bail

A division Bench of Calcutta high court on Tuesday granted bail to the driver of the car in which singer Kalikaprasad Bhattacharya was travelling.

The division Bench of Justice Ashim Kumar Roy and Justice Amitabha Chatterjee granted bail to the singer's driver Arnab Rao.

The division Bench questioned the lawyers appearing on behalf of the state government that why the accused driver was not given the charge of Section 304A — causing death by negligence. The division Bench further asked that why did the police not record the statement of the driver under Section 164 of the CrPC.

Kabari Ghosh, the mother of accused driver, appealed before the Calcutta high court to grant bail. Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee, the lawyer of accused driver said that Rao spent 64 days in jail custody.

He was arrested by cops from Gurap police station on March 7 and charges him under Sections 304, 279, 338 of the Indian Penal Code.

"If Kalika Prasad died due to the rash driving by Arnab Rao, then police should have given him Section 304 (A). But the section was not given," Justice Chatterjee said.

Prasun Dutta, a lawyer appearing on behalf of the state government said, Rao was driving the car at a high speed. His irresponsible driving led to the death of the singer. Thus, he was charged under Section 304 — culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Police

recorded his statement where he had confessed that he felt sleepy while driving.

Rao was granted bail on a personal bail bond of Rs 20,000 and the division Bench directed him to appear before the investigating officer of the case once every week.

On March 7, 56-year-old Bhattacharya was travelling along with four members of his Bengali band Dohar to a function in Birbhum district when their car met with an accident at Palsit in Burdwan district on National Highway 2 and fell into a ditch.

The police arrested Rao from his residence in South Kolkata a few days after the accident.