Bus driver jailed for six years for fatal accident, killing three

Trichy: A private bus driver was sentenced to six years in prison by a court in Trichy on Tuesday for causing the deaths of three pilgrims in 2017.The accident took place Aug 24, 2017, at around 10pm on the Madurai–Chennai Bypass Road, close to the Senthaneerpuram flyover, when the bus from Trichy to Pattukkottai, driven at high speed by Veeramani, collided with a group of around 20 pilgrims walking along the road toward Velankanni, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to several others.
The pilgrims from Edamalaipatti Pudur, who were proceeding to Velankanni for the annual festival, were walking on the extreme left side of the highway and used torchlights to ensure they were visible in the dark when the bus hit them.Three men—Selvaraj, John, and Babu—lost their lives, and roughly a dozen others suffered various injuriesThe Traffic South police filed a case against the driver under sections 279, 337, 338, and 304A of the Indian Penal Code, which cover rash driving, endangering human life, causing grievous hurt, and causing death by negligence. Veeramani was arrested, and an investigation followed.The trial proceeded at the judicial magistrate court in Trichy where public prosecutor B Venkatesan represented the state, while advocate R Padmanabhan appeared for the defense.Judge M Darvinmuthu found the accused guilty and delivered the verdict on Tuesday. He imposed a total sentence of six years' imprisonment on Veeramani across the relevant sections, along with a total fine of 14,500.