John Abraham gets 15 days' jail for rash driving, out on bail

MUMBAI: A local court on Thursday held Bollywood actor John Abraham guilty of an offence of rash driving and sentenced him to 15 days simple imprisonment. The Bandra additional chief metropolitan magistrate S V Kulkarni also fined the actor, known for his love for bikes, Rs 1,500 for causing an accident and injuring two men when his motorcycle hit a cyclist at 11pm on Khar Danda Road four years ago in April, 2006. Of the fine amount, the magistrate said, Rs 1,000 must be paid as compensation to one of the victims.

Abraham who was present in court when the sentence was pronounced paid the fine immediately and his lawyer sought bail and a stay of the order to be able to appeal against it. The court stayed its order for a month and granted him bail. When contacted later, Abraham refused to comment.

The offence of rash driving on a public road attracts a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment. The court showed leniency towards Abraham observing that the actor had not sped away after crashing into the cyclist but had displayed kindness by rushing them to a hospital even as he himself sustained some injuries that required attention later. The actor got the two victims Tanmay Majhi then 19-year-old and Shyam Kasbe (22) to a municipal hospital and then got himself admitted to Lilavati to get his abrasions treated.

Kasbe died two years later due to TB. The Khar police slapped charges under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC on Abraham.