Head Constable Convicted in 2010 Srinagar Hit-and-Run Case, Sentenced to Jail | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: A local court in Srinagar has convicted a police head constable for rash and negligent driving in a 2010 road accident on Boulevard Road that resulted in the death of a woman and left her daughter critically injured.

Special Mobile Magistrate Massarat Jabeen, in a detailed 62-page judgment, found Mohammad Assadullah Sheikh guilty under multiple provisions of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) and the Motor Vehicles Act.

The case arose from FIR No. 10/2010 registered at Police Station Ram Munshi Bagh. According to the prosecution, on January 20, 2010, Sheikh, then serving as a head constable, was driving a Maruti van that struck two pedestrians near Zabarwan Hotel on Boulevard Road.

The victims were identified as Shaheena, who later succumbed to her injuries, and her daughter Saqiba, who sustained grievous head injuries in the incident.

During the trial, the prosecution examined 10 out of 12 listed witnesses, including eyewitnesses and medical experts. The injured daughter testified that the vehicle hit them while they were on the footpath. Other witnesses also described the vehicle as being negligently driven at high speed.

Medical evidence presented before the court confirmed the severity of injuries, noting that the deceased had suffered skull fractures and brain damage, while the survivor sustained critical head trauma.

“The testimonies of the eyewitnesses, particularly the injured witness, stand corroborated by the medical evidence and other material on record,” the court observed.

The defence argued that a CRPF vehicle was responsible for the accident and pointed to inconsistencies in witness statements. However, the court rejected these claims, stating that the defence version “finds no support from the evidence on record” and describing defence witnesses as vague and unreliable.

The court concluded that the prosecution had established the accused’s guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt,” observing that Sheikh was driving in a rash and negligent manner on a public road, causing both grievous injury and death.

It also held that the accused was driving under the influence of alcohol and without a valid driving licence at the time of the incident.

Sheikh was convicted under Sections 279, 338, and 304-A of the RPC, along with Sections 3/181 and 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

He has been sentenced to six months’ simple imprisonment for rash driving and one year each for causing grievous hurt and causing death by negligence. Additional sentences have been imposed for driving without a licence and under the influence of alcohol. All sentences will run concurrently.

“The convict be taken into custody for sending him to Central Jail Srinagar… A copy of the judgment is to be provided to the convict free of cost, and he is made aware of his right to file an appeal,” the court directed.