PANAJI
In the horrific drunken driving accident that claimed the life of a young labourer last month, one of the two surviving labourers lost a leg while the other underwent surgeries on both legs.
The victims, Abhayrai Nirmal, Amit Yadav and Dhiraj Sharma, all hailing from Uttar Pradesh, were carrying out the repairs of potholes on the old Mandovi Bridge when Sanket Shet, allegedly driving his Maruti Celerio ZXI under the influence of alcohol, crashed into them. Amit Yadav was dragged nearly 30 mtrs and was crushed against a jet patcher machine parked at the work site.
The North Goa Sessions Court has denied bail to Shet citing the gravity of the incident. “It is definitely a serious offense of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. There could definitely be an element of knowledge. On this ground the applicant’s case for grant of bail cannot be granted,” Judge Irshad Agha said.
The Court was informed that one of the two surviving labourers’ leg had been amputated while the third one underwent surgeries for both legs.
During the hearing, the defense argued that the accident was not due to reckless or negligent driving by the accused but rather the alleged negligence of the contractor responsible for the roadwork. The applicant (Shet) was not driving in a rash and negligent manner. There was no signal displayed at the site work and barricades. The investigating team has not produced details of the accident spot,” the defense lawyer claimed.
The defense also highlighted the absence of CCTV footage from the exact location of the accident, stating that the footage presented in court was from a nearby hotel.
However, the prosecution refuted these claims, pointing out that the Jet Patcher machine had its parking lights on and reflectors were in place at the site. The public prosecutor further argued that the speed limit on the bridge is 30 km/h, which the accused allegedly exceeded. The prosecution also highlighted the severity of the incident, stating that it constituted a serious offense of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, given the knowledge and recklessness involved.
The court while denying him bail observed that the accused's custody is necessary for conducting an identification parade and continuing the investigation.
198 drunken drivers
booked on weekend
District and Traffic Police booked 198 violations of drunken driving this last weekend. A total of 3,300 drunken driving violations have been booked this year so far.
