Mumbai: BEST driver sentenced to three months for injuring bicycle rider in 2021

The Girgaon Magistrate's Court has observed that negligent driving of public transport vehicles poses serious danger to passengers as well as road users. Also, a Best Bus driver was convicted and sentenced to three months in jail for injuring a cyclist in the Peddar Road area in January 2021.

This is his first offence in his 28-year career. Therefore, a plea was made by the accused driver to the court for leniency in punishment. However, showing leniency in such cases or showing mercy to the accused will send a wrong message in the society, explained Magistrate Nadeem Patel. Also, the mercy plea of the accused driver was rejected.

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The accused was found guilty by the court of recklessly driving a vehicle on a public road endangering the life or personal safety of others, causing injury by such act. According to police allegations, in January 2021, the accused's vehicle hit the handle of the complainant's bicycle. As a result, the complainant fell down and sustained minor injuries. This is the first crime in the accused's 28-year career and his family is completely dependent on him. Therefore, the lawyer of the accused requested the court to show mercy in his sentence. So, the police requested the court to sentence the accused to six months imprisonment, claiming that the accused was driving a public vehicle and he should have driven the vehicle carefully.

After hearing arguments from both sides on punishment, the court explained that the quantum of punishment depends on the nature of the incident, facts, injury to the victim, nature of the crime and its impact on the society. In the case before us, the injury suffered by the complainant is common. However, the court noted that the accused is a driver of a public transport i.e. BEST and he was convicted of driving the bus negligently. This case is related to the safety of bus passengers and road users. It is dangerous if the public transport driver is driving carelessly. His driving like this can pose serious danger to passengers as well as road users. Therefore, showing undue leniency in such cases would send a wrong message to the society, the magistrate observed while rejecting the mercy plea of the accused.