The Additional District Sessions Court in Chengalpattu on Wednesday acquitted seven persons, including a school correspondent, who were cited as accused in a case relating to the death of a seven-year-old S. Sruthi who fell through a hole in the floor of the school bus and got crushed under its wheels in 2012.
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According to the prosecution, the bus belonged to Zion Matriculation School and it was returning from the school at about 3.30 p.m. on July 25, 2012 and the first accused M.B. Seeman was the driver assisted by Shanmugam, cleaner of the bus.
At about 4.30 p.m. near Mudichur, Sruthi fell through the hole between the fifth and sixth row of seats due to the rash and negligent driving of the driver. The school correspondent, Vijayan, had purchased the vehicle and had got registration certificate in the name of the school and transported the students without proper maintenance of the vehicle, said the prosecution.
The Mount traffic investigation wing had registered a case of culpable homicide against the school correspondent on July 25, 2012, the day the child died. Subsequently, a chargesheet was filed against eight individuals by the end of that year.
The trial was conducted before the Additional Sessions Court, Chengalpattu. At the conclusion of the trial, the Additional District Judge K. Kayathiri concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against the accused.