Bombay HC upheld death sentence for Pune driver who hijacked public bus, killed 9

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of a driver from Pune, who hijacked a public bus in 2012 and ran over nine people.

Mane was convicted under Sections 302, 307, 324, 427, 381 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for murder, attempt to murder, damage to public property and theft.

In a nightmarish incident that had shocked the city, Santosh Mane, 37, had hijacked a state transport bus from the Swargate depot on January 25 last year and driven on a stretch of 14 km on a busy road in the area, killing nine and injuring 37 during the peak hour heavy morning traffic.

Mane was sentenced to death by a city court, following which he appealed to the Bombay High Court.

Mane worked for a public transport company in Pune, but was not on duty when he stole the bus from the depot.