Parents seek stricter rules to tame errant drivers

Parents who lost their children in the Expressway crash on June 14, 2008 have urged the government and lawmakers to re-look into the punishment provisioned in Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code.

Parents who lost their children in the Expressway crash on June 14, 2008 have urged the government and lawmakers to re-look into the punishment provisioned in Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code.

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“This section that provisions a maximum of two years imprisonment and some monetary penalty on the accused for causing death due to a negligent act needs to be changed. People driving rashly with no respect for human life have no fear for law and it sentences the accused to only two years in jail. The irony is that a majority do not even go to jail as the offence is bailable as the accused get bail as had happened in the case of Tapan Malik,” said Sumir Anand, father of Curran Anand.

“While announcing the verdict in court today, the judge said the punishment was too less and therefore if the accused wanted any relief, he should appeal in the High Court,” Anand claimed.

The sentence for rash driving should not be less than 10 years and be treated as murder on roads, the aggrieved father demanded.

Capt. Rakesh Yadav, father of Divyanshu and a maritime trainer, said Section 304A was too lenient to play deterrent for reckless drivers.

“There has to be 8-10 years’ imprisonment for negligent drivers who kill people because of their irresponsible act. It is high time that the government and lawmakers take up the matter seriously as the number of fatal accidents are going up everyday,” he added. “Fortunately, we had two eyewitnesses who turned up in court to submit their statement and appeared on all hearings,” Anand said.