Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS) Four days after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail in a 2006 hit-and-run case, 25-year-old Alistair Pereira surrendered before a sessions court here Monday. However, he was not taken into custody because a certified copy of the apex court order was not available.

“After he surrendered at Khar police station where the FIR against him was registered originally, he was taken to the sessions court,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Pratap Dighavkar told IANS.

“But he was sent back home as a certified copy of the Supreme Court order cancelling his bail last week was not available with us or the court,” he said.

The police officer added that Pereira will be taken into custody whenever the police or the local court receive the apex court order copy.

On Nov 12, 2006, Pereira, the son of a rich businessman, was driving under the influence of alcohol on Carter Road area of Bandra, north-west Mumbai, and ran over 15 labourers sleeping on the pavement, killing seven of them.

On Jan 12 this year, the Supreme Court upheld a Bombay High Court verdict awarding him a three-year jail sentence.

According to the Supreme Court verdict, Pereira, who has only served one month in jail, will now have to serve three years of imprisonment.

The apex court bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice J.S. Kehar cancelled the bail bond of Pereira and directed him to surrender.

Pereira, who holds an engineering diploma, was convicted by a sessions court April 13, 2007, which awarded him six months imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs.5 lakh that was to be paid to the victims’ families.

Pereira challenged the conviction before the Bombay High Court, which Sep 6, 2007, confirmed his conviction and enhanced the sentence to three years. It also criticised Mumbai police for slackness in the investigation and taking too much time to submit its report.

Pereira then challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court. He was granted bail at that time.