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Man arrested for bike racing on Chennai streets gets bail. Judge imposes 9 conditions
Among the 9 conditions imposed by the Madras high court to grant bail to a man accused of street racing was a one-page daily report on his experiences in the hospital’s trauma ward.
CHENNAI: A man, who was arrested for riding pillion in a bike race on Chennai roads and appealed for bail, has been directed by the Madras high court to spend a month in the trauma ward at the government Stanley Hospital as a bail condition and to learn a lesson.
The petitioner, L Praveen, a camera man at a film studio, has been directed to report before the duty doctor for a month in Chennai’s hospital (where the bike race occurred) every day at 8am and stay until noon.
“He shall assist the ward boys to take care of the patients at trauma ward for 30 days from the next date of release from the prison,” justice G Jayachandran said in his order. “Further, the petitioner shall submit (a) one-page report daily about his experience in the trauma ward to the duty doctor…” The dean of Stanley Hospital will in turn forward the reports at the end of the 30th day to the III Metropolitan Magistrate in Chennai.
This was among the nine bail conditions imposed on Praveen by Justice Jayachandran. “He claims that he has not been involved in any bike race. He was just travelling along with Ajithkumar (owner of the bike) as a pillion. He, being a law-abiding citizen, is ready to comply with any condition,” the judge observed.
The court said detaining the petitioner in prison further will not be necessary and he may be granted bail subject to certain conditions. The high court also allowed the trial court to take action against the petitioner if he violates any of the bail conditions and an FIR can be filed if he goes absconding.
“This court is not oblivious of the fact that recently youngsters are riding their vehicles rashly causing terror in the minds of the road users, particularly senior citizens,” the court said. “The pillion rider creates panic in the minds of the public by using metal rods and causing fire sparkles while they (use a) rod on the road, do wheeling and other adventures while riding.”
The case is that on March 20 at about 9.30pm four persons were riding on two bikes in a rash manner near Stanley Hospital that led to an accident, and according to the police, also caused nuisance and terror in the mind of the general public. A person complained to the Chennai Police giving the vehicle’s registration number using which the owners of the two wheeler were traced. The city’s traffic police, the respondents in the case, found that the said owners were riding the bikes in an unauthorised bike race and two others were pillion riders who abetted the offence. All four were arrested.
