The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s decision to reduce the sentence imposed on a man found guilty in a motor accident case of reckless driving and causing death as a result of negligence was overturned by the Supreme Court on March 28. The court stated, “The Indian Penal Code is punitive and deterrent, with its principal aim and object being punishing offenders for committing offences under the act.” The highest court panel plainly ruled that the high court’s “undue sympathy” was unjustified and that its ruling should be interfered with.
The Punjab government appealed the high court’s decision sustaining the accused’s conviction but lowering his sentence from two years of hard labour to eight months, subject to payment of restitution, before a division bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar. “This court has often emphasised the necessity to firmly punish criminals guilty for causing motor vehicle accidents,” the bench said. India is experiencing an increase in traffic-related injuries and fatalities as a result of its quickly growing motorization. A family’s financial loss, mental distress, and social isolation brought on by the death of the family’s breadwinner or another family member, or by the victim’s disability, cannot be measured. The proportionality rule applies to both crime and punishment.
HARDIK SHARMA (B.COM LL.B, 8TH SEM)
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