Panchkula: Army doctor gets 1-year jail for accident that killed cyclist
On August 13, 2016, the deceased, Ajay Gupta, 45, an event manager based in Delhi, who was visiting his parents in Panchkula, was out for cycling
Nearly seven years after a speeding car claimed the life of a cyclist in Sector 5 Panchkula, a local court has sentenced the car driver, an army doctor, to one-year in jail.
The court of additional district and sessions judge Sunil Kumar also imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on Sunil Kumar, 40, who was convicted under Section 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code on July 28.
Hailing from Gurugram, Sunil was posted at the Command Hospital in Chandimandir when the accident took place in August 2016.
The deceased, Ajay Gupta, 45, was the son of Lalita Prakash, the director of Ashiana Public School in Sector 9, Chandigarh. On August 13, 2016, Ajay, an event manager based in Delhi, who was visiting his parents in Panchkula, was out for cycling.
When he reached near Sankhla Chowk, Sector 5, Panchkula, a Honda City car, coming from Sector 2, hit him. Ajay and his bicycle were dragged under the car for a substantial distance, before the vehicle jumped over the divider and hit an electricity pole that finally brought it to a halt.
Ajay was rushed to the civil hospital in Sector 6, where he was declared brought dead. His wife and 11-month-old son were in Delhi when he met with the accident.
On his part, Sunil had told the police that he was headed to work, when he saw the cyclist in front of his car and while trying to stop the vehicle, inadvertently pressed the accelerator instead of brakes.
As per police statement in court, Sunil accompanied an auto-rickshaw that took the victim to the civil hospital, where he was apprehended.
While awarding the sentence, the court observed, “The accused facing the trial should have been more vigilant even if the bicyclist came in front of him though no evidence is led by the accused to prove that the bicyclist came in front of his car all of a sudden. The accused should have exercised proper control over the vehicle being driven by him but he failed to do so and hit the bicyclist directly resulting into his death.”
The order said, “While driving the car, he hit the deceased resulting into his death due to the injuries sustained in the accident. Therefore, the evidence led on record by the prosecution proves beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the accused for the commission of offence punishable under Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code.”
