Porsche crash: Cops likely to seek extension in juvenile’s observation home remand

Following his detention after the accident on May 19, the minor was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Pune in the afternoon on the same day.

Police had sought his custody in the juvenile observation home and had also appealed that he be tried as an adult. The JJB—which consisted of just one non-judicial member on Sunday instead of its full strength of three including one judicial member—had then rejected both applications and had granted bail to the accused on various conditions including writing an essay, studying traffic safety norms and undergoing de-addiction counselling.

The police had then challenged this JJB order in the district court which had referred the matter back to the JJB to be decided again as per the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. On May 22, the three-member JJB had remanded him to observation home till June 5 with psychological and de-addiction counselling among the terms for rehabilitation and reform.

“We would be seeking an extension in the observation home remand of the juvenile,” said an officer on the condition of anonymity refusing to divulge details about the grounds on which the police will seek extension. “In the possibility of the JJB denying our plea for extension, the minor will be released in the custody of the relative, with his parents and grandfather currently under arrest,” another officer said.

Officials at the observation home have said that as per the stipulated norms under the Juvenile Justice Act, a Social Investigation Report of the juvenile is prepared. For this, a team from the facility visits the house of the minor, talks to the family members and assesses his behavioural and psychological state. A second report is prepared within the facility and is called the Individual Care Plan. This assessment includes examining the behavioural and psychological aspects of the minor at the observation home and interaction with other minors at the facility. Both these reports along with the report of his psychological assessment by the in-house counsellors are expected to be submitted to the JJB for consideration when the case comes for hearing on June 5.