The father of runaway driver Puneet Puneet, who had fled from Melbourne to India after killing a 19-year-old pedestrian, has come out in his son’s defence.
In an interview with , Puneet’s father Naresh Kumar said that whatever happened in Australia was wrong, but was ‘unintentional.’
“My son was the only hope for our future, but he too has lost the fight with life. He is so exhausted with this court case that he attempted suicide twice,” Mr Kumar told Herald Sun.
He went on to claim that his son is not mentally fit and can no longer comprehend the ongoing trial proceedings.
Calling Australia a ‘racist’ country, Mr Kumar said that he fears that his son will not be treated ‘fairly’ if trialled in Australia.
“I am concerned about the life of my son. He will not be given due legal help and will not be treated fairly (in Australia),” he added.
Mr Kumar also said that Puneet's wife has filed a case against him for 'mental disturbance' and his failure to be a 'responsible' father to their three-year-old child.
Meanwhile, Puneet’s extradition case had another inconclusive hearing at the Patiala District court in New Delhi, earlier this month.
Puneet Puneet after a court hearing in India. (File photo) Source: AAP
His lawyer Kanhaiya Kumar Singhal argued in the court that his client did not fall within the “extradition domain.”
He claimed that offences which do not carry a punishment of a minimum of one year in jail in both the countries are not “extraditable,” according to the extradition treaty between Australia and India, reported Herald Sun.
Mr Puneet is facing charges related to culpable driving, negligently causing serious injury, and improper use of a foreign travel document - all of which carries a punishment of less than a year in jail in India, according to his lawyer.
"The Australian authorities deliberately elongated the case to culpable homicide so as to make it extraditable,” Mr Singhal said in the court.
The next hearing in the case has been set for July 15.
Background:
Puneet was allegedly drunk when the car he was driving in Melbourne crashed into two pedestrians, both students from Queensland.
The crash killed 19-year-old student Dean Hofstee and injured another friend, 20-year-old Clancy Coker, on a fatal night in October 2008.
Police at the time said he was over the legal alcohol limit and was estimated to be driving at 148 km/h. He later pleaded guilty to culpable driving offences in Magistrates Court in Melbourne in 2008.
Puneet was later granted bail on conditions that he wouldn't travel outside Victoria, would not drive and have to surrender his passport.
Puneet Puneet Source: Photo by ABC
But despite the conditions, Puneet managed to flee to India in 2009 on his friend Sukhcharanjit Singh’s passport. However, he was arrested four years later, on his wedding day.
Puneet’s extradition trial:
Over the past five years, Puneet’s defence lawyer has made multiple attempts to stop his client’s extradition to Melbourne, prolonging the anguish of the families of the accident victims who want him to face justice in Australia.
In the last hearing in April this year, he failed to show up at the hearing as he was reportedly "occupied" with another case.
Despite repeated phone calls by the court's clerk and Puneet’s relatives, and a waiting period allowed by Judge Gurmohini Kaur, Mr Singhal remained uncontactable.
Apart from not showing up in the court three times, Mr Singhal has also made various claims against his client’s extradition including Puneet’s mental and physical health.
"This extradition is being called for only for political reasons and to give benefit to Victoria's politicians. Puneet is being targeted for this reason and this reason alone," Mr Singhal had said in the court earlier in February.
