December 07, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 8, 1429

KARACHI, Dec 6: An additional district and sessions judge on Saturday handed down seven-year sentence to a bus driver found guilty of rash and negligent driving that resulted in the death of a young pedestrian.

Judge Abdul Naeem Memon, who pronounced the verdict after recording the final arguments from both sides, also directed the convict, Sher Khan, to deposit over Rs250,000 in the provincial government’s account as compensation since the deceased could not be identified and his legal heirs remained untraceable.

The judge observed that the prosecution had successfully established its case against the accused by producing ample documentary evidence and witnesses in court.

According to the prosecution, the driver of route 4-L bus (JA 6941) while racing of his vehicle with another bus lost the control and knocked down to death a passer-by in the Preedy police limits on Nov 12, 1998.

Police arrested the accused and registered a case (FIR No 271/98) against him under Section 320 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Later, the accused was released on bail.

In the final arguments, public prosecutor Abdul Maroof said the prosecution had examined two eyewitnesses, Mohammad Akbar and Mohammad Nawab, in addition to seven other witnesses who already testified that the passer-by was killed due to reckless driving. Besides, he said, medical reports also confirmed that.

Seeking maximum punishment for the accused, he said the driver’s involvement had been proved beyond any shadow of doubt.

However, the defence counsel said that the prosecution failed to prove its case and pleaded for the acquittal of his client.

Kidnap case

Meanwhile, the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts in Karachi remanded two women in jail custody and extended the physical remand of their male associates till Dec 13 in a kidnap for ransom case.

Samreen, Yasmin, Javed and Sohail are facing trial for kidnapping two-year-old Rabia, a garment factory owner’s daughter, from Bahadurabad on Nov 24.

The prosecution said accused Javed and Sohail kidnapped Rabia with the connivance of her aunt, Yasmin, and her maidservant, Samreen. They demanded Rs2 million from the girl’s father for her release. They collected the ransom on Nov 26 and released the victim.

Later, a team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell arrested the suspects.

A case was registered at Bahadurabad police station under Section 365-A of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the ATA on a complaint of the victim’s father.