In Brief
On 10 March 2000, a truck driver collided with a 15-year-old boy's moped in Patiala, causing his death. The driver fled the scene. The appellant was the truck driver. Trial and appellate courts convicted him under IPC Sections 279 (rash driving) and 304-A (causing death by negligence), sentencing him to six months and two years' imprisonment respectively. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, holding that eyewitness testimony, court identification, and surrender by his ITBP commandant clearly proved his identity as the driver. Minor evidentiary inconsistencies did not undermine the case. The Court rejected pleas for reduced punishment or probation, emphasizing that a child's death and the accused's flight from the scene warranted full punishment."
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