Gujarat HC rejects bail of cop accused in MICA student’s death, cost imposed of ₹5,000

Gujarat High Court dismissed the regular bail plea of Virendrasinh Padheriya, a police constable accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old MICA student Priyanshu Jain on November 10, 2024, in Ahmedabad’s Bopal area, and imposed cost of ₹5,000 on the applicant.

The court observed that Padheriya had withdrawn an earlier bail application on July 9, 2025, when the court had indicated it was not inclined to grant relief. The present successive application, the court said, appeared to have been filed only to obtain a reasoned order that could be challenged before the Supreme Court.

“If the applicant was inclined to approach the apex court, nothing prevented him from inviting the reasons when the earlier bail application was withdrawn,” the court noted, adding that filing a fresh plea merely has been filed which is nothing but misuse of law, the court said.

The court found no merit in the defence claim of a sudden scuffle, holding that prima facie evidence showed the accused constable had chased the victim after being reprimanded for rash driving, intercepted his two-wheeler, and deliberately stabbed him in a vital part of the body.

The court noted that the knife used in the crime was recovered from Padheriya, and Forensic Science Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the deceased’s blood group on the weapon.

Constable Padheriya was charged with murder following a fatal road rage incident in Bopal on November 10, 2024, that claimed the life of 20-year-old Priyanshu Jain.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at Bopal Police Station, Priyanshu Jain and the first informant (an eyewitness) were waiting at a road junction on their two-wheeler to cross the road when the accused, driving his private car, allegedly drove in a rash and negligent manner.

Irked by the incident, Jain reportedly reprimanded the driver. Instead of moving on, the accused drove ahead, took a U-turn, and began chasing the two-wheeler. He eventually intercepted the victims, leading to a heated verbal altercation that quickly escalated into a physical scuffle.During the confrontation, Padheriya allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Jain once, inflicting a fatal injury.

The entire sequence of events was witnessed by the first informant, who later identified the accused in a Test Identification Parade conducted by the police