On May 19, a 17-year-old teenager in Pune’s Kalyaninagar neighborhood struck and killed two IT professionals riding motorbikes. The boy was operating a fancy Porsche Taycan without number plates.
Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, two 24-year-old techies, were named as the deceased individuals.
After being detained for only 15 hours, the juvenile, Vishal Agarwal, 50, son of a’renowned’ real estate tycoon, appeared before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and was given bail. This sparked criticism from a number of people nationwide, including prominent politicians.
This is the case’s timeline:
MAY 19: In Pune’s Kalyaninagar, a 17-year-old who was allegedly intoxicated murdered two techies on motorcycles after colliding with them with his opulent Porsche. It was stated that the deceased were making their way back home following a gathering at a nearby restaurant.
Under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 304 A (causing death by negligence), 279 (rash driving), and pertinent Motor Vehicles Act sections, the police filed a formal complaint (FIR) against the child.
May 20: The juvenile was given bail by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Pune, subject to a number of requirements, including completing a fifteen-day assignment with the Yerawada traffic police, writing an essay about accidents, getting therapy to stop drinking, and seeing a psychiatrist.
Notably, the JJB rejected the plea notwithstanding the police’s argument that the driver should be tried as an adult.
In the meantime, a CCTV clip appeared on social media that showed the minor driver sat at a table in a pub with his pals. He was reportedly celebrating his Class 12 results with them by sipping alcoholic beverages.
The video purportedly originated from Cosie bar, where multiple liquor bottles were visible on the table.
Sanjay Raut, the head of Shiv Sen (UBT), and other opposition figures claimed that after the adolescent was arrested, the police station fed him pizza, burgers, and biryani.
May 21: Vishal Agarwal, the 17-year-old’s father, was taken into custody by Pune Police from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. It also detained the manager and owner of the establishment where the teenager was reportedly provided alcohol.
It has been reported that Agarwal owns Brahma Realty and Infrastructure, a building company.
Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act were used to book them. These sections deal with giving intoxicating substances to a juvenile and deliberate neglect of a child, respectively.
The Pune Police’s crime branch assumed responsibility for the crash case investigation.
The families of the two dead techies demanded a thorough investigation into their son and his parents, calling the occurrence a “murder” and referring to the adolescent as a “human bomb”.
Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, expressed dismay at the JJB’s choice to give the youngster bail in the wake of the incident.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde gave the Pune police strict instructions to investigate the Porsche crash case.
“Clear instructions to take strict action in this case have been given to the police by the chief minister, deputy chief minister and home minister [Devendra Fadnavis], and the [Pune] guardian minister [Deputy CM Ajit Pawar].” Strong action has also been ordered by the state’s director general of police, according to Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, quoted by PTI.
May 22: Minutes before the collision that claimed the lives of the two techies, more CCTV footage showed the high-end electric Porsche Taycan speeding across the roadways. It was alleged that the driver was going 200 km/h in the automobile.
Vishal Agarwal, the teen’s father, was placed into police custody until May 24. The 17-year-old youngster was also summons to appear before the Juvenile Justice Board on Wednesday.
The minor motorist will face charges of driving under the influence, according to a juvenile court ruling. The Motor Vehicle Act’s Section 185 will be used for his trial and sentencing. This clause imposes fines of up to Rs 10,000 or up to six months in jail, or both.
Additionally, according to reports, the adolescent spent Rs 48,000 in ninety minutes at one of the two bars he frequented prior to the unfortunate incident. According to Times of India, which cited Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar, the teenager and his companions went to Cosie, the first pub, at 10:40 p.m. on Saturday night. A bill of Rs 48,000 was paid there.
At 12:10 a.m., Cosie stopped serving them, and they all headed to Blak Mariott, the second pub.
The two eateries where the adolescent was allegedly supplied alcohol have been sealed by the state excise authority. It also initiated a specific campaign to make sure bars and restaurants with licenses don’t serve alcohol to minors and don’t stay open past 1:30 am.
According to Vivek Bhimanwar, the Maharashtra Transport Commissioner, the 17-year-old would not be allowed to obtain a driver’s license until he is 25 years old.
According to Bhimanwar, the Porsche Taycan’s current temporary registration will be canceled in accordance with the MV Act’s regulations, meaning it will not be permitted to register at any RTO office for a period of 12 months.
The Pune police also requested a review of the boy’s bail ruling from the JJB. It requested authorization to treat the kid as an adult, claiming that the crime he had done was “heinous”.
Later on Wednesday, the Juvenile Board revoked the 17-year-old’s bail in response to widespread criticism of its earlier ruling. The kid was placed on remand by the board at the Children Observation Center until June 5.
A noteworthy development was also disclosed by a number of sources, which suggested that the accused’s family had ties to the underworld. Surendra Kumar Agarwal, the juvenile driver’s grandfather, is purportedly on trial in a shootout case for allegedly giving money to gangster Chhota Rajan.
NOW, WHAT IS GOING ON?
According to a facility official on Thursday, the 17-year-old child has been sent to an observation house under the Juvenile Board’s directive.
According to the official, there are currently more than thirty juveniles residing at the observation house, which is situated on the same property as the police review petition hearing.
“The Child-in-Conflict with Law (CCL) was immediately sent to the Nehru Udyog Kendra observation home, located at Yerawada, where he is staying with the other CCLs,” he stated.
A senior police official added that while the young person is staying at the house, he would need to go through psychological evaluations.
The young boy’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, claims that it can take up to two months to determine whether a juvenile accused of a crime should be prosecuted as an adult. This is because reports from counselors and psychiatrists, among others, are required.
Additionally, Patil refuted the police’s claim that JJB revoked the bond, asserting that no bail was revoked.
“It is an adjustment to the previous directive…A bail cancellation entails rescinding the prior judgment and placing the defendant under arrest. It’s not a custody in this case. Rehab is what it is,” Patil said to the press.
“The juvenile has been transferred to an observation home until June 5 in accordance with the JJ Board’s operational order. According to Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, “the order on our plea to allow police to treat him as an adult (accused) has not been received yet.”
Notably, activist Prince Singhal, the founder of Community Against Drunken Driving (CADD), contacted Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday requesting that he take notice of the accident case and order action against the guilty.
Aneesh Awadhiya, the mother of one of the deceased techies, told NDTV that her son was “killed” by the youngster. “My son was killed by him. I will never get to meet my son now,” she remarked. It might also be referred to as a “murder,” she remarked.
Savitha Awadhiya asked that the 17-year-old defendant receive the harshest penalty possible. She requested assistance from the Maharashtra government in obtaining justice for her son.
