US national of Indian origin Nooriya Haveliwala, a high-profile beautician of South Mumbai, who mowed down two persons to death and left four others injured while driving a car under the influence of alcohol two years ago, was sentenced to five years rigourous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4 lakh by the Special NDPS court, on Thursday.
The court, while acquitting her of charges under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, found the 30-year-old beautician guilty of ‘rash and negligent driving and culpable homicide not amounting to murder,’ under Motor Vehicles Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
Special court judge I M Bohari, while delivering the judgement, instructed that of the Rs 5 lakh fine, two lakh each would be given to the families of the deceased; police sub-inspector Dinanath Shinde and biker Afzal Ibrahim. Of the rest amount, Rs 50,000 would given as compensation to Shailesh Jadhav, who had sustained serious injuries and the three other injured would receive Rs 15,000 each.
Nooriya was nabbed on the night of January 30, 2010 after she had run over six people on the swanky Marine Drive road in South Mumbai. Medical tests revealed high level of alcohol and traces of narcotics in her blood and urine.
The local police were hesitating to move ahead in the case during the initial phase of investigation, but a public outcry later forced them to accept the medical tests and charge Nooriya with culpable homicide and rash and negligent driving as well as also invoke sections from NDPS Act.
