Anahita Pandole – Mercedes driver in the Cyrus Mistry crash – had 11 previous speeding tickets: Mumbai police

The tragic death of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry along with his friend Jehangir Pandole sparked a lot of controversy in the country. And in the most recent advancements regarding this exact case, it has been found out by the Palghar police that Dr. Anahita Pandole who was in the driving seat at the time accident has a history of breaking traffic laws. According to the police authorities, Dr. Pandole in the period of 2020 and 2022 received 19 e-challans in total, 11 of which were for speeding. It has also been reported that these outstanding infractions will be added to the charge sheet that will be filed against her.

While speaking to the media, Palghar superintendent of police Balasaheb Patil stated,

The challans were issued against the vehicle involved in the accident that killed Mistry and Jehangir. When we obtained details of these challans from the Mumbai traffic police, we found that Anahita was captured by speed cameras behind the wheel of the car in these instances. Further inquiries established that the car, registered in the name of JM Financials, is owned by the Pandoles and it was being used by Anahita,

Hindustan Times went the extra mile to confirm with the Mumbai traffic police independently that 11 of the 19 e-challans issued against Dr. Pandole’s vehicle were for speeding infractions. According to the findings of the media outlet two of these 11 speeding violations were issued in 2022. The rest of the 9 were issued in 2021. 19 challans total; 17 of them have been paid. While two of the challans issued last year were in Pune and Wada, both for speeding, one of the two this year was reported in Thane where the automobile was seen speeding on a traffic camera.

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On September 4, Mistry was travelling from Gujarat to Mumbai in a Mercedes GLC SUV, together with the driver Dr. Anahita Pandole, her husband Darius, and Jehangir Pandole. The accident took place about one kilometre before the Charoti toll plaza. On the flyover constructed above the Surya River, the three lanes of the roadway split into two lanes at this point. Mistry and Jehangir were travelling in the rear seat at the time of the collision; the other two sustained serious wounds. Darius was just discharged from the hospital, while Anahita is still recuperating at Hiranandani Hospital.

Following the incident, Anahita was detained by Kasa police in Palghar on November 5 for breaking multiple Indian penal code provisions.Dr. Anahita was charged under sections of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Indian Penal Code that relate to 304A (causing death by negligence), 279 (driving or riding carelessly on a public way), 337 (causing injury to any person by doing any act so carelessly or rashly as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others), and 338 (causing grievous injury to any person by doing any act so carelessly or rashly as to endanger human life, or the personal safety of others).

Meanwhile in an attempt to eliminate the risk of any more fatalities on the spot where three months ago this horryfying crash happened the National Highways Authority of India installed a new crash attenuator. The highway authorities placed this crash cushion at the beginning of the V shape where the three lanes merge into two near the Surya river bridge on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. According to an official from the NHAI, this is the first time that a crash impact-reducing device has been placed in the country.

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