Oct 01: Alister Pereira, Bandra based boy and son of a Mumbai businessman, has been granted bail by Supreme Court in a hit and run case, which killed 7 laborers and injured many.
Pereira was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment by the High Court earlier this month. He was charged for running a car over seven laborers, sleeping on a Mumbai pavement on Carter Road last year.
He and his friends were found under the influence of alcohol. Alister was held guilty for causing death not amounting to culpable homicide.
A lower court sentenced him six months jail for hit and run case and fined Rs. 500,000. However this judgement was criticized by social activist and HC overturned the verdict and sentenced him to three year imprisonment.
Alistair Pereira challenged the High Court verdict in Supreme Court, which convicted him to three years' rigorous imprisonment.
He pleaded for bail on the ground that he had never violated the condition imposed on him during the trial.
Driving in intoxicated state is highly dangerous and every injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally preventable.
It has become a national problem that engulfs many lives especially in big cities. But our justice system in most case failed to confer justice as there are various loop holes directing the accused getting bail and move freely.
The inability of our justice system can be very well seen when a Mumbai lower court only awarded a 6 months imprisonment to Pereira. This brought large scale protest and public outcry which later forced the Maharastra state government to move High Court.
The High Court later hearing the entire case granted a three years stern imprisonment of killing seven people in rash driving. But Pereira’s advocate had urged the court to grant bail under the Probation of Offenders’ Act, 1958 citing that he has no criminal back ground.
The recent judgement will soon raise another round of debate and discussion but the apex court should consider the life of those who lost their near and dear ones in the accident. Driving intoxicated is a grievous offence and can not be pardoned. The SC should grant even more stringent punishment to Pereira and should send a signal to rich and influential that all is equal in the eyes of law.
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Comments:
N.Ramakrishnan
October 2, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Sandy
October 2, 2007 at 12:00 AMWhere's the justice? Just because he is from a rich family, his act can be pardoned. He should have gotten 6 years imprisonment. 6 months or 3 years are not enough time for his punishment.What was the fault of those innocent children and other people who died? I just have one question for the judge who granted bail to Alister Pereira, would you have taken the same decision if instead of those laborers, it was your whole family?It doesn't matter how old the guy is or what his criminal background was, he should be punished for what he did so other rich & influential people can learn a lesson from this..
Driving intoxicated is a grievous offense and should not be pardoned. The SC should definitely grant even more stringent punishment to Pereira .
The supreme court should not have granted bail in this case Killing seven innocent poor labourers by driving under influence of liquor is ghastly crime The high court judgement is correct