CHENNAI: The VII Additional District and Sessions Court in Chennai on Saturday reissued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against EMPEE Group businessman Shaji Purushothaman after rejecting his plea to appear through video conference, holding that he had failed to comply with the Madras High Court's direction to appear in person.
The case came up before judge P Srikumar. Shaji's counsel sought exemption from his personal appearance, stating that he was undergoing physiotherapy for a back ailment, and requested permission for him to participate in the proceedings through video conference. The counsel also informed the court that an appeal challenging the Madras High Court's order had been filed before the Supreme Court.
Rejecting the plea, the judge observed that the Madras High Court had specifically directed Shaji to appear before the trial court on July 16, but he had failed to do so. The court dismissed the exemption petition and reissued the NBW against him.
According to the prosecution, Shaji, allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and without a valid driving licence, rammed his car onto the pavement near Egmore Children's Hospital on May 22, 2013, killing a 12-year-old boy and injuring four others.
The trial court convicted him on June 29 under Section 304 Part II and four counts of Section 308 of the Indian Penal Code, besides offences under the Motor Vehicles Act. However, he did not appear when the judgment was pronounced. The court then dismissed his plea for exemption from personal appearance, issued an NBW and directed the police to secure his presence for the hearing on the quantum of sentence.
Challenging the warrant, Shaji approached the Madras High Court, citing his back ailment and ongoing physiotherapy. Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy recalled the NBW and directed him to appear before the trial court without fail on July 16. As he again failed to appear, the trial court reissued the non-bailable warrant after rejecting his latest request to attend the proceedings virtually.