Hit and Run and then a long battle of justice


Sidharth Sharma - age 32.

Have you heard this name anywhere in the news recently?

Sidharth Sharma, 32, a marketing consultant, was killed by a speeding Mercedes on April 4 in Delhi's Civil Lines area. The driver of the Mercedes was a rich spoilt brat who took his father's car out to celebrate his time after board exams with his friends and ultimately causing grief to another family for whom Sidharth was the only breadwinner son.

The CCTV footage is all over the internet which clearly shows how the speeding Mercedes flung Sidharth about 15-20 metres in the air and he landed about 10 metres away from where he was standing initially. According to some eye witnesses, 5-6 boys, who are later claimed as teenagers, spilled out of the car and fled the scene.

The driver of the car was identified later and charged under Juvenile Justice Act. Since he is juvenile, his name can't be released. If found guilty, he will be charged with maximum fine of Rs.1000 and/or probably 3 months in juvenile custody. His father will be charged with rash and negligent driving and will probably be spending 2 years in imprisonment (if found guilty).

Coming from a family who lost their oldest son 12 years ago in the same kind of hit and run case when a rich spoilt brat was responsible for putting my whole family into the grief, I could not resist writing about it. Since the accused was juvenile and rich, it was easy for him to get away with it so easily not even considering the victim who was also 21 at the time of his last breath and just started his modelling career.

This most recent incident of hit and run in Delhi is yet another accident in which a rich will get away with their money and the victim's family will keep on fighting for the justice. Who do you think is the real criminal?

In my humble opinion, the real criminals are the parents who let their kids go and drive in busy streets and never strictly tell them the consequences of rash driving. How did the juvenile get the driving license? In a recent police report, it is found that the same juvenile who killed Sidharth was earlier penalised thrice by traffic police in April and June last year along with wrong parking in February. If the parents didn't find all these penalties against their son as eye openers, what else were they waiting for? How come juvenile has a driving license but he cannot be charged as an adult in the accident case.

The law must take its course and we do have strong faith in our country's law. The parents should be stricter towards their children and should decide if they are mature enough to be behind the wheels. They may not be dangerous to themselves but how about other people on the roads?

Not sure how long the legal battle is going to be between Sidharth's family and the accused, the former has definitely lost their son whose loss is irreparable. I wish people who flee from the accident spot have little emotional space in their hearts and they can take the victim to the nearby hospital rather than fleeing away? If this could have happened, my brother and Sidharth would have been alive today!

#justiceforsidharth

2 comments

  1. This is how rich people raise the kids and how due to them other will suffer.

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  2. If the juvenile is young enough to bear the punishment, he should be young enough to drive as well. Parents are responsible for this definitely for letting their children drive!

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