Blueline bus driver sent to one year jail for rash

A blueline bus driver, who had crushed to death a motorcyclist at a traffic signal, has been sent to one year in jail by a Delhi court.

New Delhi: A blueline bus driver, who had crushed to death a motorcyclist at a traffic signal while driving rashly a decade ago, has been sent to one year in jail by a Delhi court. District Judge RK Gauba dismissed the appeal of Vasant Kunj resident Sachhidanand against the order of the magistrate and sent him to jail to serve the sentence. "In these circumstances where a precious life came to an untimely end and keeping in mind the need for deterrence in such like cases, I do not find any good reason to reduce the rigour of the sentence awarded by the court below. "The appeal against the judgement and sentence is, thus, found devoid of merit and is consequently dismissed," it said. According to the prosecution, the incident took place in April 2002 when 27-year-old victim Sarfaraz had stopped his motorcycle at a traffic signal in Jia Sarai area here in South Delhi and started moving on signal being turned green. The blueline bus, driven by accused Sachhidanand, also started moving when the signal turned green and hit the motorcycle from behind, it said. It said the victim and his bike was crushed under the wheel of the rashly driven bus and Sarfaraz died on the spot. The driver was chased by eye witnesses who later handed him over to police.

The accused, in his defence, claimed it was a false case and said that he was not the driver of the offending vehicle at the time of accident. The court, however, said the judgement of the magistrate does not suffer from any error. "The guilt of the appellant is writ large in the facts proved. The motorcycle of the victim had been hit from behind. In the scenario wherein the victim on his motorcycle was moving, after the traffic single had turned green, with other vehicles also on the move, the appellant driving the bus was expected to keep his vehicle under check. "The fact that he ended up colliding against the motor cycle from behind itself shows that the speed used by him excessive and beyond his control. This renders him guilty of rash driving," the sessions court said. PTI