A Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus driver was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment today for causing the death of a pedestrian by operating an unroadworthy bus.
Kebethigollewa Magistrate Nimesha Patabendige imposed the sentence on R. Ranjith Rathnayake, a driver attached to the Kebethigollewa SLTB depot, after convicting him on five charges under the Motor Traffic Act.
The case relates to a fatal accident that occurred in Padaviya in 2017, in which pedestrian P. Kumarasinghe Bandara lost his life.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 15,000, with a further three months’ imprisonment in default of payment. The magistrate also ordered Rathnayake to pay Rs. 500,000 in compensation to the victim’s family, failing which he would face an additional one-year prison term.
The court further ordered the suspension of the driver’s licence for a period of one year.
During proceedings, a vehicle inspector testified that the bus involved in the accident was unfit for road use at the time of the crash.
