KARACHI, Aug 16: A sessions court on Tuesday sentenced a man to seven years in prison for his reckless driving that had claimed the life of a man in 2005.The court found Umair Rana guilty of unintentionally killing Abdul Khaliq in a road accident in Buffer Zone.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (central) Mohammad Azeem pronounced his verdict after recording evidence from witnesses and final arguments from both sides.

The court also directed the convict to pay an amount of Rs360,209 to the legal heirs of the victim as Diyat (compensation), or else he would have to remain in prison till the payment of the Diyat.

The verdict stated that four eyewitnesses had testified against the accused and assigned his role. The eyewitnesses were subjected to cross-examination at length, but they remained consistent on material points, it added.

The medical evidence also corroborated the ocular testimony as regard to the injuries sustained by the victim followed by his death in the road accident, it said.

The judge wrote in his verdict that the contradictions pointed out by the defence in the evidence of the prosecution witnesses were minor in nature and made no adverse impacts on the case of the prosecution.

“The ocular evidence as discussed above as well as medical evidence available on record furnished sufficient credible evidence against the accused regarding commission of present crime and there are overwhelming evidence on record to connect the accused with the present crime,” the verdict concluded.

According to the prosecution, on Nov 9, 2011 a fast-moving car driven by the accused had knocked down the victim when he was crossing a road near Nagan Chowrangi. The injured was taken to a hospital, but he succumbed to his wounds. The accused was arrested on the same day. Later, he was released on bail.

A case (FIR 428/2005) was registered under Section 320 (punishment for unintentional murder for rash negligent driving) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Taimauria police station.

The accused was present in court and following the pronouncement of the verdict he was taken into custody and sent to jail along to server out the awarded sentence.

Policemen’s bail pleas dismissed A sessions court on Tuesday dismissed the pre-arrest bail applications of two policemen in a case pertaining to the killing of a young man in a ‘staged’ encounter.

Head-constable Shafiq Anjum and constable Abdul Latif had moved the bail applications through their counsel and on the pervious hearing the court had granted them an interim bail. They were directed to seek confirmation of the bail on Aug 16.

On Tuesday, additional district and sessions judge (south) Abdul Razzaq after hearing arguments from both sides, dismissed the pre-arrest pleas. After pronouncement of the order, the policemen were taken in custody and sent to prison.

According to the prosecution, the accused along with ASI Faisal Jaffari, head-constable Ijaz Ahmed and constables Namoos Khan and Mazhar Hussain of the Ferozabad police station allegedly kidnapped a man, Mohammad Ali Butt, within the remit of the Baloch Colony police station in December 2010 and killed him in a fake encounter.

A case (FIR No.10/2011) was registered on a sessions court order in January this year under Sections 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 302 (punishment for qatl-i-amd), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the deceased’s father.

The other policemen nominated accused in the case have been declared absconder.