Pune Porsche Accident: Juvenile Court Denies Adult Trial for Teen Driver

Juvenile Justice Board's Decision

In Pune, the Juvenile Justice Board has turned down a request from local police to classify a 17-year-old boy, accused of driving a Porsche while intoxicated and causing the deaths of two individuals, as an adult for trial purposes. This tragic incident occurred in Kalyani Nagar on May 19 of the previous year, claiming the lives of IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa.

The police had argued that the act was particularly egregious, not only due to the fatalities but also because of alleged attempts to manipulate evidence. However, the Juvenile Justice Board, as stated by defense attorney Prashant Patil, dismissed the prosecution's request.

Patil explained that he had countered the prosecution's demand by referencing a Supreme Court ruling, Shilpa Mittal Vs State, which outlines the criteria for classifying a crime as heinous. He emphasized that the prosecution's plea contradicted the Supreme Court's guidelines, which are obligatory for all parties involved.

To classify a crime as heinous, the law requires that the relevant section invoked must carry a minimum sentence of seven years. Patil pointed out that in this case, no such section exists, questioning the validity of the prosecution's plea.

He further asserted that it is the responsibility of the Juvenile Justice Board to assess whether the accused should be treated as an adult or a minor, and in this instance, the Board had already determined that the boy should not be classified as an adult.

Following the accident, the teenager was granted bail within hours, with conditions that included writing a 300-word essay on road safety. This lenient treatment sparked widespread outrage, leading to his subsequent placement in an observation home three days later.

On June 25, 2024, the Bombay High Court ordered the immediate release of the boy, declaring the Juvenile Justice Board's decision to remand him to an observation home as unlawful and emphasizing the need for strict adherence to juvenile laws.

Discussions are ongoing regarding the charges against ten other individuals implicated in the case, including the boy's parents. Among the accused are medical professionals and others allegedly involved in attempts to alter blood samples to protect the juvenile.

While the boy's mother has been released on bail, the other nine remain incarcerated. The prosecution recently revealed that efforts were made to switch blood samples at a second hospital, but these attempts were unsuccessful.