Daily Times

A Karachi sessions court on Friday rejected the post-arrest bail application of Natasha Danish – the driver booked in the Karsaz road accident – in a drug case.

On August 19, a speeding Toyota Land Cruiser, driven by Danish, hit three motorcycles and another car on Karsaz Road, killing 60-year-old Imran Arif and his 22-year-old daughter Amna, as well as wounding three others. The driver was arrested and booked for manslaughter charges.

The suspect was granted bail last week in the murder case after the victims’ family pardoned them “without any blood money”. However, a judicial magistrate had rejected her bail plea in the drug case on Monday.

Subsequently, the same day, Danish’s counsel Aamir Mansoob Qureshi had challenged the bail denial before the Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) Shahid Ali Memon.

While announcing the verdict reserved two days ago, Judge Memon also rejected Danish’s bail plea.

The verdict had been reserved after hearing arguments from the defence counsel and the state prosecutor.

Danish’s lawyer had argued that, as a matter of principle, only one case should be registered for a single incident.

State prosecutor Syed Khursheed Abbas Bukhari had opposed the bail application, arguing that the case was still under investigation and the final charge sheet had yet to be submitted to the court.

Danish was arrested on the spot and booked on manslaughter charges after the August 19 accident on Karsaz Road, which killed a father and his daughter.

Later, the police said her medical report – conducted upon the request of the victims’ counsel – showed she was under the influence of crystal meth.

Consequently, a separate first information report (FIR) was registered by the Bahadurabad police against Danish under Section 11 (drinking liable to tazir) of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order, 1979 (PEHO).

Rejecting Danish’s bail plea in the drug case, Judicial Magistrate (East) Muhammad Raza Ansari had observed that Danish’s lawyer could not satisfy the court regarding section 11 of the PEHO.

The magistrate further said the lawyer’s claim of the suspect’s blood and urine samples being manipulated was false.