Indian bus driver given death penalty after killing nine people on rampage

A bus driver in India has been given the death penalty after he killed nine people and injured 27 in the city of Pune in January 2012.

A court heard how Santosh Maruti Mane, 41, went on a 30-minute rampage on crowded streets during the morning rush hour.

According to the Indian Express, judge V K Shewale said Mane used "a bus as a weapon" and he was given the death penalty in the "rarest of the rare" category due to the "revolting and ghastly" act carried out.

Mane's lawyer said he was "mentally imbalanced" but the judge said he was in a "completely sound mental condition".

The BBC reports that around 40 vehicles were damaged when Mane stole a bus from a depot on 25 January 2012 and caused mayhem on the roads before a college student managed to get onto the bus and restrain him.

Before the death penalty can be carried out, Mane can appeal in the high court and the Supreme Court.

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