Court rejects bail plea of Karsaz accident's suspect in drug case

KARACHI: The bail application seeking the release of the Karsaz accident's suspect in the case pertaining to drug usage was rejected by a court on Friday.

The bail petition of the female driver, who was behind the steering wheel of the vehicle that caused the accident resulting in the death of a father and daughter, was rejected by Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) Shahid Ali Memon.

In the order turning down her bail plea, the court maintained that drug users in such situations do not deserve bail.

"The fact that the accused has a British passport and driving license cannot be ignored," it added.

The development comes a week after the victims' heirs pardoned the suspect, saying they had no objection to granting them bail in the case as the mishap was not intentional.

“Matters have been settled between us and we have pardoned the suspect. We have forgiven for Allah’s sake, who’s the most kind and most merciful,” read the affidavit submitted to the court during the hearing of the suspect’s plea seeking bail.

Earlier in the hearing of the drug case, however, the Judicial Magistrate (East) Muhammad Raza Ansari had also rejected the bail plea of the suspects in the same case.

In the order citing the public prosecutor today, the court mentioned that the suspect has a British passport and a driving license.

"The suspect is likely to go abroad after getting bail," read the order.

It added that neither the chemical examiner nor the prosecution has any malice on their part in the case.

The first case is an accident and the second is a drug case, the order mentioned.

The court stated that the Anti-Narcotics Act does not apply to the case, according to the suspect's lawyer, and should have been registered under the Control of Narcotic Substances (CNS) Act.

The written order mentioned that the punishment for the offence in the said act is one year with a fine, as per the lawyer and that the heir of the deceased in the accident has pardoned the suspect.

However, the accused has remained in jail since her arrest, as per the lawyer, who lamented that the judicial magistrate ignored the evidence in the case, said the court.

On the other hand, the court also mentioned that the counsel of the heirs has not expressed any objection to the bail of the suspect.

The order mentioned that the suspect drove a car while drunk and hit four people, as per the public prosecutor.

The verdict stated that two people had died and two were injured due to the collision of the suspect's vehicle.

The accident

A young woman and an elderly man were killed when the suspect’s luxury vehicle crashed into multiple vehicles near the Pakistan Maritime Museum on August 19.

The deceased and injured were brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for medico-legal formalities and treatment, respectively.

Those killed in the accident were identified as daughter and father, 26-year-old Aamna and 60-year-old Imran, while one of the injured was reportedly in critical condition.

According to law enforcement officials, the woman who caused the accident received an injury on her head and her CT scan was conducted at the JPMC.

The woman was going through the service road near Karsaz when, according to her, the car got out of control and caused the accident.

The case

As per the police, the case was filed by Imtiaz Arif, brother of the deceased at the Bahadurabad police station. They said charges of culpable homicide and negligence were incorporated in the FIR.

The complainant said he received information about his brother’s accident on the phone and when he reached the JPMC he found his brother and niece dead.

He came to know that the SUV driver hit his brother’s bike from the rear, causing the accident. Another motorcyclist Abdul Salam also got injured.

Imtiaz said his brother and niece died due to the suspect's "negligence, freewheeling and speeding".

Police said since the suspect had a driving license, therefore charges of culpable homicide will be applied to her case. They said that charges of negligence and rash driving had also been added to the FIR.

Another case was lodged against the suspect involved in the Karsaz road accident after Methamphetamine, aka crystal meth, was found in her blood and urine samples, police told Geo News on August 31.

Soon after the deadly incident, the JPMC had obtained the blood and urine samples of the woman, police had said.

They had added that the case was filed on the state's behalf against the suspect on grounds of a fresh report of the medico-legal officer (MLO).

Police had said a section pertaining to use of prohibited item has been incorporated in the case as traces of banned substance were confirmed in the blood sample obtained from the arrested suspect.