Court refuses relief to man convicted in accident case

NEW DELHI:

A Delhi court refused to grant any relief to a man who was convicted for rash and negligent driving which resulted in the death of two kids, saying the world would never be the same for their parents.

Special Judge Ashutosh Kumar dismissed the appeal of Uttar Pradesh resident Rohit against a magisterial court’s order sentencing him to two years of jail and directed him to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the kin of the victims.

“It must have been very traumatic for the parents who lost their only two children because of rash and negligent driving of the appellant. The world will never be the same for them again. Thus, the appellant does not deserve lesser sentence than what has been awarded by the trial court,” the court said.

According to the prosecution, on November 27, 2006, Rohit while driving a TATA Sumo, jumped a red signal at Kesav Puram in north west Delhi and hit a Maruti van at a high speed.

The accident resulted in the death of two children Sunny and Sachin and injuries to four other passengers in the van.

The counsel for the convict claimed that he was not driving in a rash or negligent manner but it was the van which jumped the red light.

The court, however, noted that the material evidences were contrary to the what the convict had claimed and the Sumo had dragged the van for a considerable distance.

The court also refused to consider the mitigating circumstances of the convict and said that his conduct of driving an SUV at high speed near crossing, jumping the red light, dragging the van for considerable distance leading to the deaths, made a highly aggravating circumstance against him.