SC grants bail to Pereira in hit-and-run case
New
Delhi,
Oct
1:
The
Supreme
Court
today
granted
bail
to
Alistair
Anthony
Pereira,
sentenced
to
three-year
imprisonment
by
Mumbai
High
Court
in
a
hit-and-run
case
in
which
seven
labourers
were
mowed
down
and
eight
others
injured
on
April
12,
2006.
A bench comprising Justices A K Mathur and Markandey Katju also admitted the appeal filed by the petitioner challenging his conviction and sentence in the case.
Pereira was let off by the trial court with a nominal sentence of six months, which led to huge public outcry and the High Court, in the appeal, announced a sentence of three years and maintained the fine of Rs five lakh imposed on the accused.
Earlier, counsel for the petitioner contended before the court that the petitioner has been the victim of media trial and he has already undergone the sentence imposed by the trial court, and that the High Court had committed a mistake by interfering with the order of trial court, which was based on correct appreciation of the evidence adduced during the trial.
The court directed that the accused shall be released on bail on his furnishing bail bond and sureties to the satisfaction of the trial court and shall not leave the country without the permission of the apex court.
UNI