New Delhi:
Two bonds of ₹ 7, 500 each and a 300-word essay on road safety - these were some of the bail conditions placed on the 17-year-old Pune boy who was "heavily drunk" and driving his father's ₹ 2.5 crore Porsche supercar when he rammed into and killed two people on a two-wheeler.
Seen by NDTV, the Juvenile Justice Board's order lists seven conditions for grant of bail for the teen, whom the police want to charge as an adult given the "heinous" nature of the crime. Apart from requiring a personal bond and a surety, and the essay, the following conditions were also imposed:
... will visit the RTO (regional transport office) and study all rules and regulations, present a presentation, and submit the same to the Juvenile Justice Board within 15 days.
... will assist RTO officials and study traffic rules for 15 days, and submit a report.
... will be referred to external de-addiction counselling (for alcohol consumption).
... will consult psychiatrics at Sassoon Hospital (a government medical facility), and submit a report to the Juvenile Justice Board within 15 days.
... parent of CCL (child in conflict with law) is directed to keep him present before Juvenile Justice Board as and when required, and keep him away from 'bad company'.
Arguing for bail, the teen's lawyers had claimed "his name is falsely implicated... (and if released on bail) will neither tamper with evidence nor try to abscond from jurisdiction of the court". "He is ready to furnish solvent surety... to abide by the conditions imposed on him," his lawyers had said.
The Juvenile Justice Board, therefore, said "... it is just and proper to release" the boy on bail.
The 17-year-old boy was out with two friends to celebrate clearing his Class 12 exams.
Apart from illegally driving the Porsche (he is four months shy of 18, the minimum legal age to drive a car), the boy and his friends were served alcohol by a city establishment, identified as Cosie Bar.
The bar and the boy's father have both been charged; they face police cases under Section 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which deal with wilful neglect of a child and providing liquor and/or narcotics to an underage person, unless prescribed by a medical professional.
The father was arrested Tuesday night after the cops thwarted an elaborate escape plan that involved multiple cars driven to multiple locations in an effort to throw off the authorities.