KARACHI: Although the woman SUV driver who ran over and killed a man and his daughter in a traffic accident near Karsaz a day ago has a manslaughter case registered against her, police failed to present the suspect in court on Tuesday, citing her psychiatric treatment at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) while she was in custody.
Imran Arif, 60, and his daughter Amna, 22, were killed on Monday near Karsaz when the suspect, according to the Bahadurabad police, drove a Toyota Land Cruiser in a “extremely rash and negligent manner,” hitting three motorcycles and a car. Three other people were also injured.
A judicial magistrate (East) was notified on Tuesday by the case’s investigating officer that a JPMC physician had declared herself to be “not in a good state of mind to appear before the court or undergo interrogation.”
In a letter filed with the court, the IO requested that Dr. Ghooni Lal, the head of JPMC’s mental department, turn over custody of the patient to the police so they could question them.
Man and his daughter were remanded for manslaughter by the woman who ran over them; the victims were buried in front of emotional scenes.
The suspect was “admitted to the psychiatry department for a detailed evaluation and investigations to reach a proper diagnosis,” according to Dr. Lal, who rejected the request. She is currently confused and not in a suitable mental state to appear in court or be questioned.
The IO also asked the court to grant the suspect a 14-day police remand and said he needed to verify the suspect’s driver’s license.
Nevertheless, the judge remanded the suspect in police custody for a single day after hearing from the IO and defense attorneys.
The investigation officer’s arguments and the court’s review of the material on file satisfy the court that the accused’s physical custody is required for the purpose of remand under section 167 Cr.P.C. However, in this particular case, the accused’s physical custody has not been presented to the court, and it appears from the outset that the accused is not in a position to be brought before the court right away without suffering personal harm or endangering their health.
In addition, the court ordered IO to present the suspect to the relevant judicial magistrate on Wednesday, or today, provided she makes a full recovery and is able to appear in court.
The court stated, “But if she doesn’t recover enough, the investigating officer may apply again to the concerned court for further orders.”
Defense attorney Aamir Mansoob informed the media during the hearing that he had argued in court that his client was a patient suffering from psychosis.
He claimed to have argued in court that his client should be allowed bail in order to provide the necessary guarantee and that the provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code under which the FIR was filed are eligible for bail.
Under Sections 320 (punishment for qatl-i-khata by rash or negligent driving), 337-G (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent driving), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), and 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the PPC, the Bahadurabad police had earlier filed a case against the suspect in response to a complaint from Imtiaz Arif, the victim Imran’s brother.
Man, daughter buried
In the midst of dramatic emotions, funeral prayers for the victim father and his small daughter were held in Gulzar-i-Hijri, Scheme-33. Many locals, family members, and a few politicians were present during the funeral.
According to the victim’s family, Imran Arif delivered papar to several shops on his motorcycle. He went to pick up his daughter Amna from her workplace on Monday. The fast-moving SUV ran them over as they were on their way home.
Amna perusing her MBA at a private university while working for a private corporation.
Imran leaves behind a son and a daughter.
Speaking to the media during the burial, Munam Zafar, the city chairman of Jamaat-i-Islami, stated that the family was entitled to his party and that it was a tragic tragedy.
Alamgir Khan, the head of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, said that the police were “tampering” with the case and that premeditated murder, not manslaughter, should have been the charge on which the FIR was filed.
