Team Herald
PANJIM: The district court on Friday acquitted a truck driver who was charged with murder after he ran the vehicle over a police sub inspector in March 2013.
Punjab-based Amarjit Singh was, however, convicted for ‘causing death by negligence’ and ‘rash driving,’ but the sentence period was set aside by the Additional Sessions Judge as he has been behind bars from the day the offence occurred.
The young PSI Abhishek Gomes, attached to the Ponda traffic cell, was killed after he was run over by the truck at Bethora-Ponda on March 16, 2013. Ponda police had arrested Singh, who initially fled from the spot after abandoning the truck. He was prosecuted for murder under section 302 along with sections 279 (rash driving) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the chargesheet, Singh had attempted to drive the truck over Constable Maruti Dhupdawar while the two policemen were chasing him for evading motor vehicle checking. PSI Gomes tried to stop the truck by overtaking it near the junction but was run over resulting in his death.
During the arguments, defence lawyer Arun Bras De Sa submitted that the prosecution failed to prove murder charges even as it was admitted that death occurred owing to a collision between two vehicles.
The court, while passing the order, agreed to the defence’s contention but charged the accused with causing death by negligence under section 304-A IPC.
“Death has been caused by negligence of the accused. Section 304-A IPC deals with death caused by negligence…” Judge Irshad Agha observed while acquitting the accused of murder and sentencing him to two years imprisonment and another six months jail for the offence under section 304-A and 279 IPC respectively. The accused was also acquitted of charges under Section 322 IPC for want of evidence.
Since Singh was in custody since his arrest, the court set off the imprisonment period. As per the order, his licence has been suspended for one year.
