The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) has revoked the bail of a 17-year-old boy accused of fatally hitting a biker and a pillion rider with his Porsche. The teenager has been sent to a remand home for 14 days, until June 5.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar commented on the case, stating, “We had filed in a review application before the Juvenile Justice Board, praying that the accused be tried as an adult and that he be sent to a remand home.” He added, “The operative order was communicated to us by the Juvenile Justice Board and the accused was sent to the remand home for 14 days until June 5. The orders in respect of him being tried as an adult will follow in due course.”
Advocate Prashant Patil, representing the accused, also provided insights, saying, “The investigating agencies filed a review application before the honourable Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Wednesday.” He explained that the board, consisting of three members, was asked to detain the child in conflicting law (CCL) and send him to a remand home. “The application was made, and they argued at length. We opposed the application. Certain SC judgements directly address this particular issue where we pointed out to the court that this particular application of review is not maintainable under 104 of the Juvenile Justice Act,” he stated.
“Our second submission, purely academic, was that the order granted by this honourable court on May 19, 2024, was legal. Today, the honourable Juvenile Justice Board directed the child to be detained in a rehab,” he added.
In related developments, the father of the minor accused in the accident was remanded to police custody until May 24. During his court appearance, people threw ink at the police van transporting him.
The Juvenile Justice Board also issued a notice to the 17-year-old, summoning him to appear before them on Wednesday. The tragic accident, which took place in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar on Sunday, May 19, claimed the lives of two young IT professionals from Madhya Pradesh, Ashwini Koshta and Aneesh Awadhia.
The police are also seeking the custody of the bar staff who served liquor to the accused teenager and his friend. It was discovered that the bar lacked signage prohibiting the service of alcohol to minors. Advocate Asim Saraode noted that the court denied the father’s bail request and placed him in judicial custody until May 24. The father was detained on May 21.
The incident occurred in the early hours of May 19, when the juvenile driver crashed his luxury car into a motorcycle near Kalyani Nagar, resulting in two fatalities. The young driver was initially granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board. Earlier, Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), urged activists and media to avoid revealing the minor’s identity, as it would be a violation of the Juvenile Justice Act.
On May 21, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirmed that the police have taken strict measures in response to the fatal accident involving the luxury car.