Bhopal: A local court has sentenced the bus driver to 190 years in prison, 6 years after a bus accident in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna killed 22 people. For each of the 19 counts, 10 years will be added to the sentence. The sentences will be served separately, according to the court order. This is most certainly the first time a driver who caused a deadly accident has received such a harsh prison sentence.
Driver Shamshuddin, 47, was found guilty of culpable homicide and reckless driving. A passenger bus carrying 65 people slid into a dry ditch near Madla hill on May 4th, 2015, and caught fire as a result. 12 people were injured and 22 people perished. The emergency escape was obstructed by iron bars, and an additional seat was installed where it should have been, according to the reports. This meant that passengers were trapped in the fire, and those who died were so badly burned that they couldn’t be identified.
Shamshuddin was charged with reckless driving despite passenger requests for him to slow down. The defendants were charged under IPC sections 304 (a) (negligence-related death), 304 (culpable homicide), 279 and 337 (both for rash driving), and section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act. After the inquiry was completed, the trial began, which was presided over by special judge RP Sonkar. On December 31st, 2021, the order was delivered.