Gujarat court has convicted prime accused Vismay Shah in 2013 BMW hit-n-run case.
Over two years after he rammed a two-wheeler with his BMW car, killing two persons, the son of a doctor in Ahmedabad was today sentenced to five years in prison. Vismay Shah, 27, was found guilty by a sessions court and asked to pay Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those killed.
The son of a city-based eye surgeon, Vismay was driving the car at a high speed in February, 2013, when he first hit a motorcycle, flinging its two riders into the air, then crashed into a tree. He abandoned the car and ran away, according to an eyewitness.
Chilling CCTV footage from a shopping complex in the vicinity showed the collision and the bikers being thrown up several metres in the air. The man riding pillion, 25-year-old engineering student Shivam Dave, died on the spot; his 21-year-old friend Rahul Patel died a day later.
Vismay's father Amit Shah initially claimed that his driver was at the wheel and was absconding. But a witness said the man who left the BMW spoke in English and was dressed in expensive clothes.
The witness was a friend of the men on the motorcycle. All three were heading home after dinner together when the accident took place.
Rahul's family plans to appeal for harsher punishment.
"I had faith in our judiciary and was hopeful that justice will eventually be delivered....We will appeal in a higher court for maximum sentence,'' Rahul's father Ganshyam Patel told NDTV.
Over the years, the case had seen several twists and turns. Some witnesses turned hostile but the prosecution presented witness statements and forensic evidence that established that the BMW was being driven at 120 km.
Vismay has escaped the maximum punishment of 10 years, but some do see the verdict as a deterrent.
"It should be seen as a strong message to those who violate law," said Rajendra Shukla, advocate for the Patel family.