14 yrs after mishap, court acquits Blueline driver

For 14 years, a Delhi court had been wondering as to what led to the death of a commuter who fell off a Blueline bus while boarding it. Was it the driver’s fault or did the man trip accidentally?

For 14 years, a Delhi court had been wondering as to what led to the death of a commuter who fell off a Blueline bus while boarding it. Was it the driver’s fault or did the man trip accidentally?

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Moreover, the court contemplated whether the victim boarded the bus from the front gate or rear gate.

Finally after 14 years, the court acquitted the bus driver, citing insufficient evidence to prove rash and negligent driving.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Rakesh Pandit said, "Nowhere this prosecution could clarify as to what act of the accused (driver) could be attributed to him as rash and negligent. There is also a glaring contradiction in the statements of the eyewitnesses."

According to the prosecution theory, one Bhika Singh fell off while boarding a Blueline bus. Singh succumbed to his injuries.

Eyewitnesses alleged that driver Tej Pal suddenly applied the brakes, which led to the accident as the victim lost his balance and fell down. A case was registered at the Mehrauli police station and a chargesheet was filed accusing Pal of causing death by negligence.

While one of the eyewitnesses said that the victim boarded the bus from the front gate, his son Chunni Lal testified that his father boarded it from the rear gate.

For all these years, the court pondered over the sequence of events, which led to the accident. The judge rapped the police, as it failed to unravel the mysterious circumstances in the case.

The court noted that the testimonies of eyewitnesses are contradicting.