Horse handler sentenced to 2 years in jail for girl's death due to fall

Mumbai, Feb 24 (PTI) A sessions court here on Tuesday sentended a horse handler to two years' rigorous imprisonment for the tragic death of a six-year-old girl in 2017.

Janhavi Mistry, daughter of Mahendra Mistry, CEO of a private firm, died after falling from a horse during a joyride in South Mumbai.

Sessions judge Avinash Kulkarni convicted horse handler Sohan Jaiswal guilty under Indian Penal Code section 304-II (culpable homicide). The reasoned order was not available yet.

According to police, the girl, during a joyride on horseback while visiting a park, was thrown off and fell between the legs of the animal.

She suffered severe injuries and died in hospital.

Prosecutor Anand Sukhdeve examined six witnesses, including the girl's parents. Jaiswal did not have a license to offer horse rides and failed to provide safety gear to the girl, the prosecution said.

The defence argued that the poor state of the road which had potholes and cracks caused the horse to trip. A horse is not under the control of humans, it argued.

The court, however, held Jaiswal guilty. PTI AVI KRK