Pune Porsche crash case: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday ordered the release of the juvenile accused, allegedly involved in the Porsche car accident in Pune last month, from an observation home immediately. The teen was lodged at an observation home in Maharashtra's Pune city.
The Porsche car driven by the teenager, son of a builder, crashed into a motorbike in the early hours of May 19, killing IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta in Kalyani Nagar. The teen was driving under the influence of alcohol, according to police.
Court gives teen custody to his aunt
A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande quashed the orders issued by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) remanding the minor to the observation home and directed that the teen's custody will be handed to his paternal aunt. "We allow the petition and order his release. The CCL (Child in Conflict with Law) shall be in the care and custody of the petitioner (paternal aunt)," the court said.
The bench noted the JJB's remand orders were illegal and passed without jurisdiction. The court said amid the "immediate reaction to the accident, the kneejerk reaction and the public outcry, the CCL's age was not considered."
"The CCL is under 18 years old. His age needs to be considered," the bench said.
It said the court was bound by law, the aims and objectives of the Juvenile Justice Act and must treat him as any child in conflict with law separately from adult, despite the seriousness of the crime. "CCLs are to be considered differently," the HC said.
The court said the accused is already under rehabilitation, which is the primary objective, and he is already referred to a psychologist and the same shall be continued.
The order was passed in response to a plea filed by the 17-year-old boy's paternal aunt, who claimed he was being illegally detained and sought his immediate release.
The boy's aunt claimed in the plea that due to public uproar and political agendas, the police deviated from the proper course of investigation concerning the minor boy, thereby undermining the entire purpose of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
Accused juvenile's father granted bail
Earlier on June 21, a Pune court granted bail to the father of the minor accused in the Porsche car accident case in which two people died last month.
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 was arrested from Aurangabad, the police said May 21. The police action came 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.
Pune Porsche accident case
The accident took place in the early hours of May 19. The boy was granted bail the same day by the JJB and ordered to be under the care and supervision of his parents and grandfather. It also asked him to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, an order that drew an onslaught of criticism.
Following an outcry over the quick grant of bail, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on May 22 remanded a 17-year-old youth allegedly involved in a car accident that claimed two lives to an observation home.
Also Read: Porsche accident case: Accused juvenile's father granted bail by Pune court
