HYDERABAD: Six years have passed since the deadly road mishap at Nagarjuna Circle near Punjagutta, in which nine-year-old Ramya, her uncle Rajesh and grandfather Madhusudhan had died, but justice still eludes the family whose life turned upside down.
Pammi Venkataramana and Radhika, the parents of Ramya, are on the verge of losing faith in the judicial system. Venkataramana, who lost his father and brother in the accident apart from his daughter, is now challenging the discharge of one of the accused and the petition for similar relief by another in the case.
Speaking to TNIE, a grief-stricken Venkataramana said, “We were promised a fast-track court for speedy justice, but that did not happen. We were never called to appear during the trial. We have only been offered words of sympathy by politicians after the accident. They have quickly vanished with the passage of time.”
To his utter shock, accused number 2 (A2) Vishnu was discharged from the case while another accused has filed a petition for discharge. But Ramya’s father is now preparing to challenge in the High Court the relief given to the accused.
Venkataramana, who works as a software engineer, and his wife Radhika, though have not come to terms with the loss of their daughter and two members of their family, are moving on in life. They have a nine-year-old daughter to take their mind away from the tragedy. Radhika who suffered injuries in the accident battles with other ailments. Her medical treatment cost has mounted to ` 40 lakh. Venkataraman was not in the car when the accident occurred.
Radhika wonders if there is any justice in society. “For the good of society, we pressed for Ramya Act to curb drunken driving cases. But our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Incidents like these shatter families and it makes take years for them to recover from the loss,” said a teary-eyed Radhika.
Venkata Ramana adds, “The bar where the accused who included minors got drunk is open now after paying a fine of `1 lakh. They are back in business, but we who have suffered a huge loss are denied justice. I think a parent of one of the accused is a High Court employee and used his lobbying to bail them out.”Leaving no stone unturned for justice, Venkataramana is planning to meet City Police Commissioner CV Anand sometime soon to request for speedy justice.
The ghastly accident had occurred when a car going towards Punjagutta rammed the road divider and landed on another car with Ramya, her mother Radhika, Madhusudhanm Rahesh and others, going on the other side of the road at the Nagarjuna Circle in 2016.