Pune, Apr 4 (IANS): A Pune court Wednesday convicted a state transport bus driver of murder. Santosh Mane killed eight people and injured 29 others as he sped recklessly through the streets here last year.

The sentencing will take place April 8.

In response to a plea filed by Mane's lawyer stating that he was under the influence of black magic, Additional Sessions Judge V.K. Shevale said that the claim does not come under "hallucination".

The court held Mane responsible for the deaths of eight victims and held him guilty of murder.

Indicating that Mane is not insane, the court observed that he mowed down only people and did not ram into other objects.

The incident happened at 8.15 a.m. on Jan 25 last year when Mane climbed into an empty Pune-Satara-Pune bus at the Swargate ST Depot and zoomed off, driving at a high speed on the wrong side of the road, taking the oncoming vehicles and people unaware.

According to police, Mane's high-speed drive lasted nearly 25 km, during which he rammed stationary and moving vehicles and ran over pedestrians before being nabbed by police.