PERAMBALUR: A Perambalur court sentenced two drivers to imprisonment on Monday night in connection with the fatal road accident that claimed the life of AIADMK minister N Mariam Pichai near Padalur in May 2011.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate in Perambalur awarded one year and four months of imprisonment each to Mariam Pitchai's car driver, S Anandhan, 34, of Mogappair in Chennai, and the truck driver, Niyamatullah from Andhra Pradesh.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 3,500 on Anandhan and Rs 4,000 on Niyamatullah.
Mariam Pitchai from Trichy had emerged victorious against DMK's KN Nehru in the Trichy West constituency during the 2011 Tamil Nadu assembly election.
Subsequently, he was appointed as the Minister of Environment and Pollution Control by the then Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa.
On May 23, 2011, Pitchai met with the tragedy while travelling to Chennai in an SUV to attend the swearing-in ceremony for legislators. Anandhan, who was driving the car, attempted to overtake a container truck near Thiruvilakurichi branch road on the Trichy-Chennai National Highway in Padalur. However, Anandhan lost control of the SUV and collided with the truck from behind.
The minister sustained severe injuries and succumbed to his wounds on his way to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Govt Hospital (MGMGH) in Trichy. The accident also left four others, including the driver, injured.
The Padalur police, attached to the Perambalur district police, had registered a case against the car driver, Anandhan, and the truck driver, Niyamatullah.
The case was later transferred to the CBCID, Trichy, and the trial took place at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Perambalur.
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