Bombay High Court dismisses case against elderly widow

The Bombay High Court has dismissed a 29-year-old criminal case against an 86-year-old widow. The court found that the lengthy delay in the trial was "so gross and so unjust" that action was necessary to set aside the case. The woman, Prabha Aggarwal, was accused of avoiding customs duties on a Mercedes car her late husband, Dev Aggarwal, imported. The couple had faced legal issues since 1986 when authorities seized the car, claiming it was brought in using false documents. They argued they did not know the proper procedures. The customs authorities filed criminal charges in 1996 after lengthy investigations. Dev passed away in 2019 while the case continued. Prabha, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, was left to navigate the legal system alone. The court pointed out that the trial has been excessively slow, noting there were only 90 hearings between 1996 and 2018, with many prosecution witnesses failing to appear. The judges concluded that the extensive delay rendered the prosecution unfair. As a result, they dismissed the case against Prabha.