A 27-year-old rich brat, who had knocked down two persons while driving his BMW at breakneck speed was released on bail by the Supreme Court on Monday on a condition that he would not drive even a two-wheeler till the trial got over.
The order is unprecedented as never before the Court has withdrawn a person’s right to drive in matters concerning hit-and-run deaths. The incident involved one Vismay Amitbhai Shah, the son of a popular eye surgeon in Ahmedabad, who mowed down two youths on a bike on February 24, 2013. Vismay had surrendered after remaining underground for three days following which he was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The bench of Justices Hl Dattu and SA Bobde said, “We grant the petitioner regular bail on the condition that he shall not drive any vehicles, much less even a two-wheeler, during pendency of criminal case before the trial court.” The court also directed the Magistrate concerned to dispose the case in six months with a direction to the accused to surrender passport and driving license with the Magistrate in two weeks. He would be released from Sabarmati Jail, where he is lodged since February 27 last year, on furnishing two securities of Rs 5 lakh each.
In May last year, the apex court had refused to show any mercy to the accused noting the fact that two youths lost their lives. The gruesome accident was caught on CCTV giving clear indications how the car was being driven at a speed of 110-150 kmph. Due to the impact of the collision the bikers were tossed in the air for a significant distance that caused their death on the spot.
The car is registered at Chandigarh in the name of Vismay who is a real estate agent. Following the crash, the car hit a tree causing it to be uprooted. Following the police case, the Regional Transport Office in Ahmedabad had suspended the driving license of the accused for six months in March last year.
The families of the two deceased youth were also present in apex court who pointed out the special treatment being given to the accused while in jail. The lawyer for the accused, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi opposed the jurisdiction of the complainant in matters of bail. However, he agreed to any condition being imposed by the Court. The Gujarat Police has submitted the chargesheet in the case in which even Vismay’s father has been accused of shielding him and misleading investigation.