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On May 19, a Porsche allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy collided with a motorcycle, killing two in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar. According to the police, the juvenile was reportedly intoxicated at the time of the incident.
As the case garners national attention, allegations have been made over leniency by the Juvenile Justice Board — which initially gave bail to the minor, asking him to write an essay on the incident. The JJB revoked the bail on Wednesday night, remanding the minor to the Yerawada home, located on the same premises as the JJB, until June 5.
1. The incident first came to public attention when a friend of the deceased filed an FIR. According to Pune police, the victims were identified as Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24-year-old software engineers from Madhya Pradesh working in Pune. Awadhiya’s friend, Akib Mulla, lodged the First Information Report (FIR) regarding the Porsche accident at the Yerwada police station.
2. CCTV footage revealed that the Porsche, allegedly driven by a minor, was traveling at an estimated speed of 160 km/h when it crashed into the victims’ motorcycle. Police sources involved in the investigation disclosed this information on May 20.
3. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed shock at the “extremely lenient” manner in which bail was granted to the minor.
4. As per the Pune police, the minor accused has told them his father knew he was consuming liquor. The police say they also have evidence, including the CCTV footage from two restaurants, which indicates the boy had been drinking with friends late on Saturday.
5. On May 21, the Pune police detained the father under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act for allowing his minor son to consume alcohol and drive the Porsche while intoxicated. Additionally, police invoked provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act for permitting a minor to drive without a license. The court has sent the man to police remand till May 24.
6. According to friends of the deceased, the group had not seen each other in a while and decided on an impromptu dinner at a restaurant in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area. “We met in the evening and headed to the restaurant, which wasn’t too far. We were on our way back when the accident happened. Everything ended in the blink of an eye,” recounted 24-year-old Akib Mulla, reflecting on the night that went tragically wrong.
7. Meanwhile, questions have been raised over the late-night visit of an MLA at the police station less than an hour after the incident. The MLA, Sunil Tingre, maintains this was not to pressure the police.
8. There are also concerns over the delay in a blood alcohol test of the minor. The police have said they are trying to find the reason behind the delay as the minor was taken to Sassoon hospital around 9 am and the sample was collected around 11 am.
9. In response to speculation about pressure influencing their actions following the bail and its revocation, the police commissioner firmly denied any such influence. “Absolutely not. We are under no pressure. There is no question of it. In fact, we have applied a stringent section… we have applied Section 304 of the IPC relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” the police chief told The Indian Express.
10. Following public outcry over the swift grant of bail, the JJB on May 22 remanded the 17-year-old to an observation home until June 5. He is now lodged at the Nehru Udyog Kendra Observation Home, once established by the British in April 1889 as ‘Reformatory School Yeravada, Poona’. The board will take a call later on the police application to try the minor as an adult.
Curated by Nidhi Das, an intern at indianexpress.com
