The Karnataka High Court reduced a 78-year-old wheelchair-bound man’s one-year jail term to one day in a 2012 fatal accident case, citing his age, health condition and ₹5 lakh compensation offer.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has shown remarkable compassion in a 14-year-old case. A 78-year-old man, who is now confined to a wheelchair, had his one-year jail sentence for causing a biker's death reduced to just a single day.
This unusual order was passed by a bench led by Justice V. Sreeshananda. The court was hearing a criminal revision petition filed by Sayyad Saifuddin, 78, from Mysuru, who had challenged the trial court's order.
When the case came up for hearing recently, Saifuddin appeared before the court in a wheelchair, helped by his son. He made an emotional appeal, offering to pay Rs. 5 lakh to the victim's family, over and above any compensation decided by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal. In return, he pleaded for his jail sentence to be cancelled.
Related Articles
The High Court took note of his plea. The judge observed that the accident happened a long time ago, back on July 28, 2012. The court pointed out that Saifuddin is now elderly and completely dependent on his wheelchair, unable to manage his daily activities without help. The bench felt that sending him to jail at this stage would serve no real purpose.
From 1 Year in Jail to Just 1 Day
Considering Saifuddin's health and the unique circumstances of the case, the High Court decided to modify the lower court's order. It reduced the one-year jail sentence to a token one-day sentence, which means he would be in custody only until the end of the court's proceedings for that day.
The court has given him a deadline of May 15 to deposit the Rs. 5 lakh compensation with the trial court. The trial court will then identify the deceased biker's dependents and hand over the money to them. However, the High Court made it clear that if Saifuddin fails to pay the amount by May 15, the original jail sentence will be back in force.
What's the case all about?
The incident dates back to July 28, 2012. Sayyad Saifuddin was test-driving a car when he hit a biker, who died in the accident. The Narasimharaja Traffic Police investigated the case and filed a chargesheet.
On March 26, 2018, the 3rd Additional Senior Civil and CJM Court in Mysuru found Saifuddin guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to jail. When he appealed this order, the 2nd Additional Civil and Sessions Court upheld the conviction on August 9, 2018. Following this, Saifuddin approached the High Court with a criminal revision petition, leading to the current order.
