Pune Police said today, Monday, May 20 that they will seek permission from a higher court to try a 17-year-old boy as an adult after his car reportedly ploughed down and killed two people in the Kalyani Nagar area in Pune.
The accident occurred early Sunday morning, May 19.
The Juvenile Justice Board's decision to grant the boy bail on the same day while also requiring him to submit an essay on traffic accidents has sparked controversy, PTI reports.
The teenager, the son of a real estate mogul, had been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, authorities said on Monday, May 20.
A case has been filed against him under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Motor Vehicle Act.
The incident, as reported
On Sunday, May 19, at approximately 3.15 am, a group of friends on motorcycles were returning from a party on their bikes when one of the motorcyclists was struck by a speeding luxury automobile at Kalyani Nagar junction.
Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa, the two riders, perished from their wounds.
After being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, the young person who was reportedly operating the vehicle was given bail.
In addition, it instructed him to visit the Regional Transport Office, study all the rules and regulations, and submit a presentation to the Board within 15 days.
"The CCL (Child in Conflict with Law) will write an essay of 300 words on the topic of road accidents and their solutions," the order read.
The board also asked the youth to help Road Transport Officers for 15 days before submitting a report. According to the report, he should be referred to an alcohol rehabilitation clinic for counselling.
"On Sunday itself we had moved an application before the court (board) seeking permission to try the juvenile as an adult and send him to an observation home as the crime is heinous, but the plea was rejected. We are now approaching the sessions court with the same plea," said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar.
His blood report had not yet been received, but preliminary investigations revealed that the youngster was intoxicated at the time of the collision, he said.
"The CCTV footage of the bar clearly shows that the juvenile was consuming alcohol. There is no doubt that the juvenile was driving the car after consuming alcohol. We will be submitting all these facts to the court," Commissioner Kumar said.
"We have also registered an offence against his father under the Juvenile Justice Act, and against the proprietors of the bar establishment for serving alcohol to an underage person. We have transferred the probe of these cases to the crime branch," he further said. Police displayed professionalism while dealing with the case, Kumar claimed.
"The case was transferred to an ACP-level officer and it is our endeavour to make a watertight case. We will appoint a special counsel in this case," he added.
