he Gujarat High Court has approved a four-day temporary bail for Tathya Pragneshbhai Patel, accused in the tragic 2023 Iskcon Bridge hit-and-run case that claimed nine lives. The relief was granted to enable him to be present during his mother's surgery, scheduled on May 26, 2025.
Patel had filed for temporary bail, citing his mother’s serious health condition. His legal team presented relevant medical documents supporting the need for his temporary release. However, the prosecution, led by Additional Public Prosecutor Mr. Hardik Mehta, strongly opposed the plea. The state argued that the surgery date was set for the convenience of Patel’s family and highlighted that he had failed to surrender immediately after a previous postponement of the operation. He was only brought back to jail custody on May 18, 2025.
Despite this, the defense, represented by senior advocate Mr. I.H. Syed and Mr. Vishrut Bhandari, assured the court that Patel would surrender without delay if the surgery did not take place on the scheduled date.
After hearing both sides, the vacation bench of Justice L.S. Pirzada ruled:
"Considering the arguments and the medical papers/certificates, the present application is partly allowed. The applicant – accused shall be released on temporary bail for a period of four (04) days, starting from 26.05.2025 at 6:00 a.m. to 29.05.2025 till 9:00 p.m."
The court directed that Patel be released under police escort consisting of one Head Constable and two constables. The cost of the escort is to be borne by Patel himself. He is also required to furnish a personal bond of ₹5,000 along with a surety of the same amount, as approved by the jail authorities.
“If the surgery of the applicant’s mother is not performed or is postponed on the stated date, the applicant must immediately surrender before the jail authority without fail,” the judge emphasized.
The High Court also ordered that Patel must surrender without delay at the end of the bail period on May 29, 2025.
Case title: TATHYA PRAGNESHBHAI PATEL Versus STATE OF GUJARAT & ANR.
