PANJIM: The trial court granted bail to Indian Navy employee, whose reckless driving killed a pedestrian in the wee hours of April 8.
The accused driver, Naganesh Bandi, employed as Civilian Motor Driver at Naval Aircraft Yard Goa, INS Hansa (Indian Navy) was arrested by police in connection with the accident.
The Additional Sessions Judge, Mapusa Kshama Joshi observed that there is no record in the case papers to show how Section 304 of IPC was invoked.
The Court has asked the accused not to leave the State without permission from the authorities, report to the police station as and when called and appear for trial once the case is charge sheeted.
The Old Goa police zeroed in on the suspect based on CCTV footage, identified the vehicle involved in the accident, and later arrested him from his home at the naval quarters.
Initially arrested for bailable offences under Sections 279 (rash driving), 304-A (causing death by negligence) of IPC and Section 134 (a) (b) of Motor Vehicle Act, he was then charged with non-bailable sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201(destruction of evidence) of IPC.
Counsel for the accused argued that the IPC sections were changed without any evidence and moreover, the CCTV footage is not of the accident spot but it is that of Bambolim area where the swift car passed.
The prosecution admitted that there is nothing to indicate that the accused was driving the vehicle at the time of the crime but there was one eye witness.
