HC rebukes motor vehicle inspector

Mumbai, July 11 (UNI) The motor vehicle inspector, who had refused opinion as to whether any mechanical fault caused the accident involving Alistair Pereira's Toyoto Corrolla, today received severe remarks from the Bombay High Court.

Alistair Pereira's car had mowed down seven people while he was driving allegedly in an inebriated condition in November last year. A local court earlier handed down a lenient punishment of six month's imrisonment to the motor vehicle inspector.

''You have cheated your duty,'' the court told the inspector and also reprimanded him saying, ''You are deceiving public duty.'' The division bench comprising Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice Ranjana Desai also expressed shock over the style in which the inspector had performed his duties and warned Advocate General Ravi Sawant that the state would be required to explain in detail, the alleged dereliction of the inspector Rajendra Sawant.

When the court asked the inspector as to why he refused to give his opinion on the condition of the vehicle, whether the accident was caused by any mechanical fault or not, he replied that the condition of the vehicle was not roadworthy and invited court's ire.

The Chief Justice asked him, if he meant to convey, ''if one wheel of a vehicle was out, it was not possible to check the working of brakes, clutch system and engine.'' Pointing out towards photographic evidence showing that right wheel of Alistair Pereira's vehicle was out when whole assembly was intact, the court expressed shock over the way the motor vehicle inspector behaved. But the court clarified that this proceeding against the authorities would not prejudice the case of Pereira.

Earlier, Pereira's lawyer Adv Manjula Rao contended that except bare statement of a doctor who examined Alistair Pereira on the day of accident, there was no evidence to prove that he was under the influence of alcohol. Pointing out some precedents of the same High Court she added that, there were discrepancies in the chemical analyser report pointing alcohol in the blood and urine of Pereira and cannot be considered as evidence in the eyes of law as mandatory procedure was not followed while taking blood and urine samples.

UNI