SC grants bail to Alistair Pereira in hit-and-run case
New Delhi, Oct 1 (UNI) The Supreme Court today granted bail to Alistair Anthony Pareira, 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