[munchy_cool]

Originally Posted by hserus

The first newspaper articles I read say she worked as VP (legal) at a rather large corporation.

quoting from ndtv

Ms Gadkar, who is a Vice President (Legal) with Reliance Industries Limited, has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for rash driving, the senior policeman said. Other charges, he said, could be added after investigation. The police have been handed videos shot by people of the woman allegedly driving recklessly minutes before the collision.

source:-http://www.ndtv.com/mumbai-news/2-de...-lateststories

[Rajeevraj]

Quite a shocking and sad bit of news to read first thing in the morning. How irresponsible can people get.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

12.55 am
She climbs up the Eastern Freeway, on the wrong side

Not familiar with this road, but I assume it is not easy to get on the wrong side of a freeway. Wonder how she managed to do that?

[svsantosh]

The Red Audi Q3 mumbai lady driver was initially quoted as Reliance Group VP, I was still at home (few hours after the accident) browsing some NDTV or TOI app. Later in office I read the media as 'large corporation'!!

How spineless the media houses can get to shield the R name from repeated road accidents in recent past!!

[ghodlur]

It does not need to be brainy to predict which direction this case will move. Inspite of all evidences which the cops must have gathered, I would not be too surprised to know that the woman might walk out on a bail even though the charges applied are for non bailable offence. Remember the Nooria Haveliwala case where the lady again drunk mowed down a couple of cops and in spite of all the attention the case grabbed on the media, the lady is out on bail.

Why does not the government wake up and make it mandatory for all vehicles to have air bags as bare minimum safety. At least some lives will be saved, not that drunk driving becomes a rarity. Whatever happened to the strict penalties and fines which were proposed and later downgraded in the proposed amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle Act?

My heart goes out to the two families which were destroyed today - one belonging to the taxi driver and the other to the family which lost their only bread winner. The remaining family members are meanwhile battling for their lives in the hospital.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Not familiar with this road, but I assume it is not easy to get on the wrong side of a freeway. Wonder how she managed to do that?

Most service roads are two way. Enter from an 'exit' and you are on the wrong side.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Yes, that's correct. This is probably just a chinese-whispers situation from the journalist, based on what eye-witnesses said.

Unless there is a woman officer present?
Or is what you've said only applicable in terms of bringing a woman in for questioning (not arrest)?

The law governing arrest is specific that before 6 AM and after 6 PM arrest of a woman can only be carried out after receiving permission from a magistrate.

There are further safeguards for her privacy, and in the case that she is pregnant, for the safety of her foetus.

This is a bare reading of the law but correct enough for all practical purposes - http://www.academia.edu/1744760/Law_...Women_in_India

[Dieseltuned]

I seriously hope that this does not follow on lines of the bollywood actor's case.

Seriously dear government, WAKE UP !!

[gabrielthomas]

I believe this link bears a strong reference with what we are discussing here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...xpressway.html - if not thrashing, at least the punishment should definitely be hard for this lady!

[VW2010]

We are the government if we fail to realise that. Whats the point of asking govt to wake up. I had a dream that the entire nation decided to go on strike and drop the ball in every office/shops/whatever work they do to earn that 1 meal for a week which throws the economy in a distress for Govt to actually react and take the right steps and make the country run again. But then again i woke up to realize, i am just another selfish, let me take care of me and my family and my house only individual who dont have the guts to step up and stand up for a cause even if it means i will suffer and will only worry about the loss of my living style if i do something like that.

Sorry for the lament but there is no point blaming the government which is nothing but US as an united theme of failure.

On the other hand, i dont mind the lady escaping for if salman can escape, so does everyone with might of power and wealth. I just want fairness for all if they have the might and wealth to get away from murder for the law of this nation simply supports that and people of the nation including me accept that.

And for that matter, i know atleast few million people are waiting to watch next salman movie.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

The Red Audi Q3 mumbai lady driver was initially quoted as Reliance Group VP, I was still at home (few hours after the accident) browsing some NDTV or TOI app. Later in office I read the media as 'large corporation'!! ... ... ...

Tangential, but hopefully not irrelevant:

What is the meaning, if any, of "President" or "Vice-President" in the Indian corporate world? Whenever I have seen it on business cards, it looks as meaningless as Blah-blah Executive --- but if it has any formal, legal meaning, like director, then it should be a matter of public record.

I suspect that I'll be confirmed in the suspicion that it's just a hot-air title?

[Soumyajit9]

Very sad incident indeed. RIP the deceased, and hope that justice is delivered, irrespective of the power, position and gender of the accused.

I have one question in mind ever since I saw the images in morning newspapers and this thread. Is that an Omni Taxi, or a Premier Padmini ?

Looking at the side profile, it looks like an Omni.
Even a minor ding directly to the front face of an Omni can be killer for the driver and front passenger.
I have been in the front passenger seat of an Omni, about 8 years back, and felt very uncomfortable with regards to my safety. The wheels being almost between the footwell and seat, I could feel every bit of the road's surface.

I don't know exactly, but I believe Maruti still sells Omni Cargo.
This taxi being from the very old batches of Omni are very dangerious from a passenger vehicle perspective, especially a Taxi.

PS: I am not Maruti bashing or anything. Just wondering how safe are vehicles like Omni, Winger, Evalia, etc etc, which have no bonnet space ? Even if a biker rams into the vehicle, this could cause a good damage to the front occupants !

[McLaren Roxx]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

I have one question in mind ever since I saw the images in morning newspapers and this thread. Is that an Omni Taxi, or a Premier Padmini ?

Looking at the side profile, it looks like an Omni.
Even a minor ding directly to the front face of an Omni can be killer for the driver and front passenger.

PS: I am not Maruti bashing or anything. Just wondering how safe are vehicles like Omni, Winger, Evalia, etc etc, which have no bonnet space ? Even if a biker rams into the vehicle, this could cause a good damage to the front occupants !

It's sad when a life is lost due to someone else's ignorance. In this case, a well educated individual, who in her capacity as a lawyer (and when in her senses), would have a word or two to say herself about the cons of drunken driving.

RIP the deceased.

The cab looks to be a Maruti Eeco.

Although Evalia & the likes do offer some protection up front, one also has to look at the combined impact speed in this case. Late at night, on an empty stretch of a freeway, the combined impact speed must be in excess of 100kmph.

Not to forget the poor Maruti was up against one of the toughest/safest cars from Audi.

[hserus]

Entirely depends. In IT or most industry, a VP is someone pretty senior with 20..25 years experience, and the hierarchy typically goes up like "manager -> senior manager -> director -> exec director -> vp -> senior vp -> ceo". A vp would be in complete charge of a single product / BU / vertical (depending on the org), with P&L responsibilities.

In banking, every b-school grad who comes in gets made an assistant vice president after the first two or three years, is usually a vp before he hits 30. Of course, the actual senior titles versus "titles that make the customer feel important because such a senior official is dealing with him" are rather different there.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Tangential, but hopefully not irrelevant:

What is the meaning, if any, of "President" or "Vice-President" in the Indian corporate world? Whenever I have seen it on business cards, it looks as meaningless as Blah-blah Executive --- but if it has any formal, legal meaning, like director, then it should be a matter of public record.

I suspect that I'll be confirmed in the suspicion that it's just a hot-air title?

[honeybee]

Such people and their employers need to be socially boycotted and publicly shamed. Money has no meaning for them because they have truckloads of it.

[rav11stars]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Why does not the government wake up and make it mandatory for all vehicles to have air bags as bare minimum safety. At least some lives will be saved, not that drunk driving becomes a rarity. Whatever happened to the strict penalties and fines which were proposed and later downgraded in the proposed amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle Act?

Whenever I see such things happen, I'm reminded of a line from the book "Rich dad, poor dad". The rules are made by the rich for themselves.
Asking the Govt and allied parties to frame strict rules is asking them to bell themselves. India is so populous and diverse that the value of the human life is just a news_item or a scrolling in a news channel.

If people were responsible, we wouldn't have needed rules; If rules were followed, we wouldn't have needed enforcing agencies.

Of all the things I do not understand, one is what crooked logic allows bars to operate when "drink and drive" is illegal??