Journalism of Courage
Lawyer of Santosh Maruti Mane,the MSRTC bus driver who had gone beserk driving a bus killing nine and injuring around 30 people,will not cross-examine witnesses named in the 68 documents submitted by the prosecution before additional sessions judge V K Shewale.
Manes lawyer Dhananjay Mane admitted the documents including post-mortem reports,inquest and spot panchnamas without objecting to it. The trial in the case is expected to begin next month.
Mane was sent to Yerawada central prison after the court had rejected his plea seeking to move him to Sassoon General Hospital for treatment.
Mane had hijacked a parked MSRTC bus from Swargate bus depot killing nine persons,injuring 32 and damaging many vehicles with his reckless driving. Mane was suspended after the incident. The prosecution has charged him
under sections 381 (theft of clerk of property in possession of master),302 (murder),307 (attempt to murder),324 and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons),of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with sections 3 and 7 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. In May this year,the court had framed charges against Mane after he had pleaded innocent on grounds of mental illness.
