A 17-year-old inebriated boy allegedly crashed his car into two persons on a bike, killing them on the spot in the wee hours of May 18, in Kalyan Nagar, Pune. The victims, Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24 years old, were engineers from Madhya Pradesh. According to reports, the minor driver, who was earlier granted bail within 15 hours, has now been sent to an observation centre till June 5. The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) cancelled the bail after outrage from the public and victims' families. The boy's father, who is reportedly a well-known real estate developer in the city, has also been remanded by a sessions court.
Minor Drunk Driver Kills Two On Bike
The accused boy was reportedly drunk driving his father's Porsche car at over 200 kilometres per hour when he crashed into Awadhia and Koshta at around 2:15 a.m. and fled the scene. The impact was so high that Koshta was sent flying and Awadhiya landed on a car. Eyewitnesses reported that the minor's car did not even have a number plate.
An autorickshaw driver in the area who witnessed the accident told NDTV, "The driver was fleeing after the car hit the bike, but the airbags deployed. He could not see the road and parked the car. And locals caught them. Besides the driver, there were two other occupants in the car. One of them escaped. The crowd beat up the other two."
The minor driver was reportedly returning with his friends from a pub where they were partying to celebrate clearing their Class 12 exams. He is four months short of turning 18, the minimum age to get a driver's licence in India. An FIR was registered under sections relating to death by negligence and rash driving.
The teenager was released on bail within 15 hours, his lawyer Prashant Patil told the media, adding that the order came with strict conditions: he must work with the traffic police in Yerwada for two weeks, write an essay on road accidents, seek treatment for his drinking problem, and take up counselling sessions.
However, the juvenile court has now scrapped the bail. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told the media, "The operative order was communicated to us by the Juvenile Justice Board and the said juvenile accused has been sent to the remand home for 15 days, till June 5. The order of him being tried as an adult is awaited at the moment”
The driver's father and the pub that served him alcohol are also likely to be charged, police said. Police Commissioner Kumar said that he urged the court to treat the accused as an adult because this is a "heinous crime" and sought his custody. Police will approach the sessions court against the bail order, he said.
Kumar said, "The father of the juvenile accused who handed over this car without a number plate to him to drive and allowed him to go to a pub has also been proceeded against. The establishment that served alcohol has also been proceeded against." An Assistant Commissioner of Police-level officer is now investigating the case.
Victims' Families Demand Strict Action
Ashwini Koshta and Anish Awadhiya's families have demanded strict action for the negligence of the minor driver and his guardians. Ashwini Koshta's inconsolable mother Mamata told PTI, "We were supposed to send her off in a doli (palanquin) to her future groom's house after her marriage, but now we were forced to carry her body on a bier."
Koshta's uncle Sachin Bokde said, "We are in shock. It is condemnable that he should get bail in 15 hours. He and his parents should be investigated. We will discuss the matter once Ashwini’s last rites are over. We want his bail cancelled and he should remain in police custody. Because of him, an innocent girl, who has seen nothing of life, died."
Awadhiya's mother told NDTV, "It is the boy's mistake, you can even call it murder because if he had not made such a big mistake, no one would have died. If only his family members had paid attention, then today my son would have been alive. He should face the strictest punishment. They are trying very hard to save him."
The victims' relatives brought attention to the negligence of the teenager's parents and criticised the pub for serving alcohol to minors. The deceased man's uncle Satish Awadhiya said, “The way things are going, I do not see we are getting any justice. For using rules in his favour, he is a minor but when he is driving that car given by his parents, he is not a minor."