Chennai: More than 13 years after a drunk driving crash in Egmore claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy and injured five others, a Chennai sessions court convicted EMPEE Group scion Shaji Purushothaman for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offences. The court issued a non-bailable warrant against him after he failed to appear for the sentencing hearing, citing ill health.VII additional district and sessions judge P Srikumar found Shaji guilty under Sections 304(II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code, along with offences under Sections 3 read with 181 and 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act for driving without a valid licence and driving under the influence of alcohol.When the case was posted on Monday for sentencing, Shaji failed to appear. His counsel submitted a petition stating that he was undergoing medical treatment. The court dismissed the petition, observing that no acceptable evidence was produced to substantiate the claim.The judge issued a non-bailable warrant directing the police to secure Shaji and produce him before the court. On Tuesday, police informed the court that they were unable to trace him and sought additional time. The court continued the non-bailable warrant, and efforts to secure his presence are under way.According to the prosecution, Shaji and three friends consumed alcohol on the night of May 22, 2013. Around 1am on May 23, he drove a Mercedes-Benz car through Egmore while under the influence of alcohol. Near the Govt Maternity Hospital, he lost control of the vehicle, collided with the front wheel of a police patrol vehicle approaching from the opposite direction, struck a parked motorcycle near a bus shelter, and then rammed into the shelter.The impact injured two youths who were fixing flex boards at the bus shelter and five persons, including 13-year-old Muniraj, Subarchita, Vasu, Khaja Mohideen and Mani, sleeping on the pavement. Muniraj succumbed to his injuries later that night.The Anna Square traffic investigation wing registered the case based on a complaint lodged by an eyewitness, Rajesh. During the investigation, police arrested Shaji on July 30 after he was declared a proclaimed offender.The prosecution rejected Shaji’s claim that his friend R M Kumar had been driving the car. It relied on the First Information Report, confessional statements recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure from co-passengers, witness testimonies identifying Shaji as the driver, and a drunken certificate issued by the Govt Royapettah Hospital. Investigators also stated that the police inspector who initially permitted Shaji to leave the accident scene was suspended, following which the investigation was transferred to an Assistant Commissioner of Police.During the trial, co-accused Syed Anwar was discharged from the case, while Anil Rao was acquitted.
