Mumbai Drunk Driving Case Under Scrutiny After NIL Alcohol Tests; ACP Inquiry Flags Police Lapses

Mumbai police are investigating a case against 70-year-old Sharad Kadam following a drunk driving charge that lacked scientific evidence. Kadam was apprehended by the Versova police on July 25 after his car collided with a female veterinary doctor. However, the Cooper Hospital report revealed zero alcohol content in his system. Both Kadam's nephew, Rohan Rathod, and his family insisted the incident was due to a stroke, not intoxication.

Rathod's nephew arranged for a second blood test at Nanavati Hospital on July 26, which also returned "NIL" results. Upon receiving this report, Rathod's family rushed from Canada to Mumbai. His wife emphasized the severity of the situation, stating that doctors could not guarantee his recovery, and she and her son were also feeling unwell.

The inquiry found several lapses in the police investigation. The doctor who submitted a note to the police claiming Kadam was drunk admitted he wrote the note after Kadam merely nodded, without conducting a blood test. Several witnesses, including a lawyer and friend Nitin P, testified that Kadam was not intoxicated and had suffered a stroke.

The police failed to collect blood samples initially, and when they did so later, the tests again returned "NIL." Additionally, two traffic constables dispatched to administer a breathalyser test could not get Kadam to breathe into the device before leaving work. Lastly, DCP Purushottam Karad received the ACP report and plans to forward it to the Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order).

The Joint Commissioner has ordered a departmental inquiry into the officers involved in framing Kadam in what appears to be a false drunk driving case.