Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, is facing a lawsuit in Kanpur after a man claimed that misleading safety promises led to his son’s death. The case was initiated when Rajesh Mishra, who lost his son Dr. Apoorv Mishra in a car accident on January 14, 2022, petitioned a local court to file an FIR. The FIR was lodged at the Raipurwa police station in Kanpur on Saturday, with Anand Gopal Mahindra, the manager of the car dealership, among those named.
According to Rajesh Mishra’s complaint, he purchased a Black Mahindra Scorpio SUV for Rs 17.39 lakh on December 2, 2020. He claims to have been influenced by Anand Mahindra’s advertisements and social media posts. The vehicle was gifted to his only son, with safety assurances from the advertisements playing a significant role in the purchase decision. On January 14, 2022, Dr. Apoorv and his friends were returning to Kanpur from Lucknow in the car when they met with an accident due to fog. Despite wearing seat belts, the airbags did not deploy during the accident, leading to Dr. Apoorv’s death. The complaint also alleges that there were no airbags in the car.
The case has been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 287 (Negligent conduct with respect to machinery), 304-A (causing death by negligence), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 102-B (criminal intimidation). SHO Aman Singh of Raipurwa has stated that an investigation into the case has begun and further action will be taken based on its findings.
