New Delhi: The juvenile allegedly driving the Porsche that hit a motorcycle should be tried as an adult, Pune Police said in a press conference Tuesday on the incident that claimed two lives in the early hours of 19 May. The boy, aged 17 years and 8 months, is the son of a prominent developer and had allegedly consumed alcohol hours before the incident.
A preliminary probe suggests the Porsche was allegedly being driven at a high speed when it hit the motorcycle at around 2:30 am at the Kalyani Nagar junction in Pune’s Yerwada. While Ashwini Koshtha, who was riding pillion, died on the spot, Aneesh Awadhiya who was riding the motorcycle, was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
Both Awadhiya and Koshtha were IT engineers. While Awadhiya was originally from Madhya Pradesh’s Umaria district, Koshtha’s family is in Jabalpur. Both were 24.
Following the accident, Pune Police filed an FIR against the juvenile under sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 304 (culpable homicide), 337 (negligent driving endangering safety of others), 338 (rash or negligent act that endangers personal safety) and 427 (mischief causing loss or damage punishable with imprisonment which may extend to two years or with fine, or both) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Juvenile Justice Board, however, granted him bail within 14 hours of arrest under conditions that he works with Pune’s Yerwada traffic police for 15 days, compose a 300-word essay, undergo treatment for alcohol dependency and submit a report thereafter.
The board’s decision was met with widespread criticism, given the gravity of the incident.
“When the incident happened, we applied the non-bailable offence. Then, we moved the application in court for an adult trial calling it a heinous crime. They disallowed it. We applied in district court against it. The hearing is expected today. We are exploring legal remedies. We believe that the juvenile should face adult trial. Three persons from the pub have been arrested. The father of the accused has been detained. Police will make every effort in this case,” Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said Tuesday.
The Pune Police also registered a case against five other persons including the father of the juvenile and the management of the pub where he was allegedly served liquor, under sections 75 (wilful neglect of a child) and 77 (supplying child with liquor or drugs) of the Juvenile Justice Act. The boy’s father has been arrested along with two owners of the pub.
“The most stringent possible sections have been applied. If any legal expert can suggest a more stringent path than this, then I am ready for debate on any platform… why was there no number plate on the car, all these things are being investigated,” Kumar said.
Family members of the deceased have reportedly termed the incident murder and demanded the cancellation of bail granted to the boy.
Commenting on the case, National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo was quoted as saying Tuesday that it is “wrong to give a car and serve alcohol to a minor”. He insisted that the “minor’s identity must not be revealed”.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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