Juvenile Suspect in Fatal Porsche Crash Awaits Adult Trial Ruling
In the wake of a tragic incident where a 17-year-old allegedly driving a Porsche fatally struck two software engineers in Pune, the city's top police official has announced that an order is pending on whether the suspect will be tried as an adult.
The Juvenile Court had initially granted the accused bail, but following a review application by the Pune Police, it has been revoked, and the suspect has been remanded to a Children's Observation Centre for 15 days.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar stated that the force had requested that the minor be prosecuted as an adult due to the severity of the crime. We filed an application before the Juvenile Justice Board to allow the juvenile to be tried as an adult and also to send him to a remand home, Kumar elaborated. The order to that effect has been communicated to us, and the accused has been sent to the remand home for 15 days, until June 5th. The order regarding his adult trial is still pending.
The suspect's lawyer, Prashant Patil, informed reporters that the Juvenile Justice Board has set certain parameters for the accused during his remand period at the correctional home, including counseling sessions with a psychiatrist or psychologist.
A new case has been filed against the teenager under Section 185 for driving under the influence of alcohol, and he was presented before the Juvenile Court for this charge.
Meanwhile, a sessions court has remanded the minor's father, Vishal Agarwal (50), and two employees of Hotel Black Club, Nitesh Shevani and Jayesh Gavkar, to police custody until May 24th. Agarwal is accused of violating Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act for neglecting his son's well-being and allowing him to consume alcohol. The employees of two bars that the boy frequented before the accident are charged with providing alcohol to an underage individual.
In a separate development, a political debate has erupted surrounding the case, with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticizing Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for politicizing the incident.
The police took immediate action in the Pune incident, Fadnavis asserted. Rahul Gandhi's attempt to introduce vote politics into everything is inappropriate.
Gandhi had expressed concern that the accused, being the son of a wealthy man, would receive preferential treatment, while an ordinary person, such as a truck or cab driver, would face severe penalties for a similar offense. He vowed that his party would work to change this system.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar also alleged that the police had spent excessive time questioning the relationship between the deceased software engineers, Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, while the accused was reportedly treated to food at the remand center.
Awadhiya and Koshta, both 24-year-old natives of Madhya Pradesh, were fatally injured when the Porsche allegedly driven by the suspect crashed into their motorbike near Kalyani Nagar junction on Sunday morning. Koshta died at the scene, while Awadhiya succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
The Juvenile Justice Board typically requires two months to determine whether a juvenile should be treated as an adult accused, as it seeks reports from psychiatrists and counselors before making a final decision.
