Porsche Car Accident: Story so far
On May 19, a Porsche allegedly driven by a 17-year-old collided with a motorcycle in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar, resulting in the deaths of two individuals. Police reports suggest that the juvenile driver was intoxicated during the incident.
As the case gains national attention, criticisms have been raised over the Juvenile Justice Board’s (JJB) initial decision to grant bail to the minor and require him to write an essay on the event. The JJB later revoked the bail on Wednesday night, detaining the minor at the Yerawada home, where the JJB is also located, until June 5.
Here’s a summary of what is known so far:
- The incident came to light when a friend of the deceased filed an FIR. The victims, identified by Pune police as 24-year-old software engineers Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta from Madhya Pradesh, were working in Pune. Akib Mulla, a friend of Awadhiya, lodged the FIR at the Yerwada police station concerning the Porsche accident.
- CCTV footage indicated that the Porsche, reportedly driven by minor Vedhant Agarwal (17 years and 8 months old), was traveling at approximately 160 km/h when it collided with the victims’ motorcycle. Police disclosed this information on May 20.
- Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticized the “extremely lenient” bail initially granted to the minor.
- According to Pune police, the minor informed them that his father was aware of his alcohol consumption. The police have evidence, including CCTV footage from two restaurants, showing the boy drinking with friends late on Saturday.
- On May 21, Pune police detained the father under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act for permitting his minor son to consume alcohol and drive the Porsche while intoxicated. The police also invoked provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act for allowing a minor to drive without a license. The father has been remanded to police custody until May 24.
- Concerns have been raised regarding the delay in conducting a blood alcohol test on the minor. The police are investigating the reason for the delay, as the minor was taken to Sassoon hospital around 9 am, but the sample was collected only at 11 am.
- Amid speculation about possible pressure influencing their actions, the police commissioner denied any such influence. “Absolutely not. We are under no pressure. There is no question of it. In fact, we have applied a stringent section… we have applied Section 304 of the IPC relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” stated the police chief.
- Following public outcry over the quick bail decision, the JJB on May 22 remanded the 17-year-old to an observation home until June 5. He is currently held at the Nehru Udyog Kendra Observation Home, initially established by the British in April 1889 as the ‘Reformatory School Yeravada, Poona’. The board will later decide on the police application to try the minor as an adult.
