Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has vowed decisive measures following a fatal car accident involving a teenager, resulting in the immediate deaths of two individuals. This tragic incident has triggered significant public outrage, particularly in light of the relatively lenient sentence handed down by the Juvenile Justice Board. The Board’s ruling, which mandated the boy to write a 300-word essay on accidents, assist traffic police for 15 days, and undergo counseling for alcohol consumption, has been criticized by Fadnavis as being grossly inadequate given the gravity of the crime. “How can the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Board issue such an order?” he questioned.
The accident occurred in the early hours of Sunday in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area, involving a high-end Porsche driven by a 17-year-old allegedly under the influence of alcohol. The car struck a motorcycle, killing two IT professionals on the spot. Eyewitnesses reported that one victim, Ashwini, was thrown 20 feet into the air, while the other, Aneesh, was hurled into a parked vehicle.
Fadnavis has announced an appeal to the district court against the Juvenile Justice Board’s decision, citing widespread public discontent. “We have appealed to the district court against the JJ Board’s decision. There is a huge public outrage. I have been closely monitoring the investigation,” he stated. The teenager, son of a prominent real estate developer in Pune, was reportedly seen drinking with friends at a bar before the incident. The bar owners have been arrested for serving alcohol to minors, violating Maharashtra’s legal drinking age of 25.
The police reports reveal that the teenager and his friends visited two restaurants on Saturday night where they were served alcohol. Fadnavis emphasized the need to try the teenager as an adult due to the severity of the crime, drawing parallels with the Nirbhaya case.
The teenager was granted bail within 15 hours of his arrest, which has further fueled public outrage. The teenager’s father has also been arrested under the Juvenile Justice Act for willful neglect and providing alcohol to a minor.
Fadnavis outlined steps to prevent such incidents in the future, including stricter enforcement against establishments violating underage drinking laws and increased drunk driving checks by the police. The accident has also sparked a political controversy, with Uddhav Thackeray camp leader Sanjay Raut criticizing the Pune Police for allegedly delaying action against the teenager.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has defended the police’s actions, stating that they sought permission to try the minor as an adult, which was denied by the Juvenile Justice Board. The police have now appealed to the District Court.
Kumar has refuted claims that the police acted under pressure due to the teenager’s influential background, asserting that they are building a strong case to ensure justice. The police have also arrested the owner of Cosie Bar for allegedly serving alcohol to the minor.
In an interview with NDTV, Kumar stated that they are assembling a “watertight case” against the teenager to try him for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, irrespective of the blood test results.
