14 YEARS IN JAIL IF YOU KILL COW, TWO IF YOU KILL PEOPLE: JUDGE

NEW DELHI: When a Delhi judge sentenced the son of a Haryanabased industrialist to two years’ imprisonment on Saturday for mowing down a motorcyclist with his luxury car in 2008, he couldn’t help but observe how present-day laws provide more stringent punishment to perpetrators of cattle-related crimes than errant drivers who take human lives.

“The sentence for killing cow is five, seven or 14 years in different states, but the sentence for causing the death of a human being through rash or negligent driving is only two years,” additional sessions judge Sanjeev Kumar said.

The court held the accused, 30-year-old Utsav Bhasin, guilty of rash driving, voluntarily causing hurt on provocation and causing death by negligence. It also announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the family of the deceased and ₹2 lakh for the injured.

On the night of September 11, 2008, Bhasin – then a BBA student – had hit Anuj Chauhan and his friend, Mrigank Srivastava, with his BMW car at Moolchand in South Delhi.

While Chauhan died in a city hospital, Srivastava survived the accident. Bhasin was arrested from ISBT Kashmere Gate while he was fleeing to Chandigarh.

Though the court had passed the verdict in May, the quantum of punishment was pronounced only on Saturday. It also granted statutory bail to Bhasin, enabling him to file an appeal in the high court. The bail bond was fixed at ₹ 50,000 with surety of a similar amount.