In a shocking drunk driving case in Pune, the 17-year-old minor speeding his Porsche took the lives of two people on a motorbike in the Kalyani Nagar area. What led to an uproar was the leniency as the Juvenile Justice Board had earlier granted him bail just 15 hours after his arrest. Then on May 22, the board cancelled the minor’s bail and sent him to an observation home till June 5, reported ANI.
Here’s what we know so far in the case
1. On May 19, the Porsche car, which was driven by the juvenile, killed two motorbike riders, named Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta. Both were IT professionals and were residents of Madhya Pradesh.
2. The CCTV footage revealed that the teenager, who is the son of 50-year-old real estate developer Vishal Agarwal, was drunk.
3. On May 22, a senior sessions court remanded the boy’s father and employees of Black Club pub, Nitesh Shevani and Jayesh Gavkar to police custody until May 24.
4. On May 21, the Pune Excise Department also sealed the Cosie Bar and the Black Bar in the city as officials reported that these establishments allegedly served liquor to the minor before the accident.
5. Earlier, the JJB had granted him the minor bail under certain conditions: he must work with traffic police in Yerwada for 15 days, write an essay on accidents, undergo treatment for his drinking habit, and attend counselling sessions. However, after the police approached the board to seek a review of its order, the JJB then cancelled the minor’s bail and sent him to an observation home.
6. On May 23, the lawyer of the accused told news agency ANI that the JJB will also be deciding whether or not the teenager should be tried as an adult. Prashant Patil while addressing the media said, “The Juvenile Justice Act has procedures to determine whether the accused Child in Conflict with Law (CCL) be considered a minor or an adult. It takes almost 90 days to conduct this procedure. The lawyer added that it takes 90 days as reports of psychiatrists and counsellors among others are called for, and then the JJB gives its decision.
7. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut demanded the removal of Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar and alleged, “The Pune police commissioner should be sacked. Whom has he helped in this case? Two innocent persons lost their lives. The boy can be seen drinking in the pub,” he said. However, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis denied any police negligence and added that there was no kind of pressure on cops to probe the case.
8. According to an India Today report, Surendra Kumar Agarwal, the grandfather of the accused, is currently on trial for allegedly paying gangster Chhota Rajan in connection with a shootout case.
9. According to a Hindustan Times report, Ashwini’s mother, Mamata had claimed that her daughter was planning to visit her hometown in Jabalpur to surprise her father on his birthday. She said, “Just a day before the accident, Ashwini informed me that she would be returning home to Jabalpur and had booked her ticket for June 18 to surprise her father on his birthday. However, it ended this way,” as quoted by HT. Mamata who was inconsolable after performing her daughter’s last rites told PTI, “We were supposed to send her off in a palanquin (to the groom’s house) after her marriage (in future), but now we were forced to carry her body on a bier.”
10. Mourning the loss of his son Anish, father Om Awadhiya mentioned that his son not only supported himself but also took care of his younger brother, who lived with him in Pune. “The culprit will get punishment…That is okay…But how can we bring back our child now? He had spoken to his mother just two days before the incident and told us that he would come soon. He was a big support for the family. What will happen to my younger son now? Who will take care of his expenses in Pune?” he told news agency PTI.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)
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Published: 23 May 2024, 03:24 PM IST