2019 accident case: Truck driver gets 1-yr jail for pedestrian’s death in Pinjore

The court also imposed a fine of ₹2,000 on the convict, identified as Swaran Singh of Dhamala village in Pinjore, Panchkula

A Kalka local court awarded one-year jail to a truck driver for causing the death of a Pinjore resident in a road accident in 2019.

The case dates to March 13, 2019, when Ashok Kumar, 48, an employee of a private company in Pinjore was run over by a truck while crossing the road. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The court also imposed a fine of ₹2,000 on the convict, identified as Swaran Singh of Dhamala village in Pinjore, Panchkula.

The case dates to March 13, 2019, when Ashok Kumar, 48, an employee of a private company in Pinjore was run over by a truck while crossing the road. The victim, along with his brother, Vijay Kumar, was walking towards the bus stand when the incident took place. The brother told the police that after the accident, the truck driver fled the spot, leaving the vehicle behind. Some passersby helped him take his brother to the Kalka community health centre, where he was declared dead.

In the court, the truck driver, Swaran had claimed false implication and pressed for release on probation. But the court declined it in view of the “gravity of offence”.

The court, while holding him guilty, stated, “From a careful perusal of the testimony of prosecution witnesses, it is evident that the accused was the same person who was driving the truck with such an indifferent attitude that he had no respect for the valuable lives of others. He was driving in a rash and negligent manner and ran over Ashok Kumar.”

“Taking into account the gravity of the offence, the convict cannot be released on probation. He does not deserve leniency as it will certainly send out a wrong message to other criminals who adopt such an attitude,” ruled the court of Kalka judicial magistrate Gitanjali Goel.