2008 BMW case victim refuses aid of `2 lakh

New Delhi, Sept. 7: A man injured in the 2008 BMW hit-and-run case involving a Haryana industrialist’s son, Utsav Bhasin, on Thursday refused to accept a cheque of `2 lakh offered to him as compensation, before the Delhi high court.

The trial court had on July 15 sent convict Bhasin to two years in jail for mowing down a motorcyclist, Anuj Singh, with his overspeeding BMW car in 2008. The pillion rider, journalist Mrigank Srivastava, was injured in the accident.

However, the trial court had granted Bhasin bail to enable him file an appeal in the high court while asking him to furnish a bail bond of `50,000 with a surety of like amount.

During the hearing on Thursday, the counsel for Srivastava told Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal that they needed to think over it before accepting the amount as directed by the trial court.

The court extended till October 30 the bail of Bhasin on the same terms and conditions as imposed by the trial court.

The counsel for Bhasin told the judge that an enhanced compensation of `35 lakh was paid to the deceased victim’s parents, who did not wish to take the matter further.

The judge, however, said no such submission was given or put on record in the court.

“The settlement was out of court. The court was not in the picture. When the file came up before me, the compensation was to be paid,” the court said and asked Bhasin’s counsel, “if any such statement was given by the deceased’s parents, why don’t you file an affidavit in this regard.”

The convict’s counsel then submitted that the court could take the statement provided by the victim’s family on record.

The court declined it, saying “Let the parents come to court or you file and affidavit” and listed the matter for hearing on October 30.