School bus driver fined ₹3,700 for rash driving

On November 20, a complaint was moved by Tilak Raj, a numberdar of Bhoj Jabyal village, who told the police that on November 20 afternoon he was coming to Morni from Tikkar Taal on his motorcycle. He said when he reached near Kaali Ghati, two buses of a private school from Mullanpur in Ludhiana came from the opposite turn.

The driver of a school bus from Ludhiana was directed to pay a fine of ₹3,700 after he was held guilty of rash driving.

The driver of a school bus from Ludhiana was directed to pay a fine of ₹3,700 after he was held guilty of rash driving. (Shutterstock/ Representational image)

The driver has been identified as Sukhdev Singh of Bharowal Kalan village, Ludhiana.

On November 20, a complaint was moved by Tilak Raj, a numberdar of Bhoj Jabyal village, who told the police that on November 20 afternoon he was coming to Morni from Tikkar Taal on his motorcycle. He said when he reached near Kaali Ghati, two buses of a private school from Mullanpur in Ludhiana came from the opposite turn. The buses were going to Tikkar Taal from Morni and schoolchildren were sitting in these buses. Of those buses, one was being driven at a high speed and in a rash and negligent manner due to which it hit a roadside crash barrier.

In the incident, six children and two teachers had sustained injuries. The children were on a school trip. Police had registered an FIR under Sections 279, and 336 of the IPC and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act in police station Chandimandir. The accused driver was arrested and later released on bail.

Based on the accused driver’s confessional statement, he was held guilty and convicted by the court of Hitesh Garg, additional chief judicial magistrate, Panchkula, on December 9, a detailed order was made available now.

Sukhdev had made a statement in the court that he had “committed a mistake” and would not repeat the mistake in future while praying for leniency.

The public prosecutor had argued for strict punishment saying that “some deterrent punishment be awarded to him so that such type of occurrence is not repeated in future”.

The court, considering that accused Sukhdev Singh was a first-time offender and has no past criminal record, had imposed a fine of ₹3,700 on him.