Porsche hit-and-run case: The father of the 17-year-old boy who was involved in a car accident that claimed the lives of two people in Maharashtra’s Pune on Sunday was arrested from Aurangabad, the police said on Tuesday (May 21). The police action comes after the father of the accused and the bar which served liquor to the juvenile accused were booked under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act. The fatal accident took place when a speeding luxury Porsche car, allegedly being driven by the drunk juvenile, hit two bike riders in Pune's Kalyani Nagar area in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Porsche hit-and-run case
The deceased were identified as Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa. CCTV footage of the incident surfaced showing that the car was travelling at an estimated speed of 200 kmph in a narrow lane. A video of locals thrashing the juvenile, who attempted to come out of the car after the accident, also went viral on social media.
According to the police, the CCTV video of the pub also showed the teenager, who is the son of a renowned real estate developer in the city, Vishal Aggarwal, drinking alcohol with his friends. They are then seen moving out of the pub.
“The accused teen was under the influence of alcohol when he rammed his Porsche into a two-wheeler, killing the two people who were on it,” the police said.
However, the teen was granted bail within 14 hours of the incident as a lower court did not find the crime "serious" enough to deny bail.
A case was registered against him under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder ) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Juvenile Justice Board's decision draws criticism
The Juvenile Justice Board's decision to grant the youngster bail on the same day while asking him to write an essay on road accidents drew criticism.
The boy who was allegedly driving the car was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which later granted him bail, directing him to visit the Regional Transport Office and 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 directed the youth to assist RTO officers for 15 days and submit a report. He should be referred to an alcohol de-addiction centre for counselling, it said.
What did the police say on the incident?
The police said that the police had moved the court seeking permission to try the juvenile as an adult, however, the plea was rejected.
"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.
The preliminary probe showed that the juvenile was drunk at the time of the accident, he added.
"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 earlier.
"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.
Shiv Sena UBT demands suspension of Police Commissioner
Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut alleged that the Police Commissioner tried to protect the accused and should be suspended.
"Police Commissioner should be suspended. He tried to protect the accused. A young couple was killed and the accused was granted bail within 2 hours. In the video, it can be seen that he was drunk, but his medical report was negative. Who is helping the accused? Who is this Police Commissioner? He should be removed or the people of Pune will come on the streets..." he said
(With PTI inputs)
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