A Pune sessions court has granted bail to the father of the juvenile accused in one of the cases pertaining to the Porsche car crash in which two software professionals were killed in the city last month.
He will, however, stay behind bars because he is also charged in other incidents involving the incident, such as exchanging blood samples for breathalyzer tests and wrongfully detaining his driver to make him accept responsibility for the collision.
Five other accused individuals, including the proprietor and managers of two bars, who were detained for allegedly serving alcohol to minors, including the juvenile, were also given bail by the court.
The Fatal Accident
On May 19, a speeding Porsche car driven by a juvenile who was allegedly intoxicated struck a motorcycle carrying two IT professionals in Kalyani Nagar, resulting in their deaths.
After Juvenile Justice Board member L N Danwade granted the accused extremely lenient bail conditions, including writing a 300-word essay on road safety, the case caused a national uproar.
Cases against Accused Individuals
Three distinct cases had been filed by the police in relation to the collision.
The main case concerned the accident itself; the other involved the juvenile’s father, who let him drive the car even though he knew he didn’t have a valid license and that he was allegedly addicted to alcohol; and the two bars, Cosie and Blak Club.
Under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicle Act and sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, a case was filed against the father, the bar’s owners, and their employees.
Section 75 of the JJ Act addresses punishment for cruelty to children, whereas section 77 of the JJ Act deals with providing a child with intoxicating liquor or drugs, which applied to the owners and managers of the two bars. That pertains to the father.
According to the FIR, the minor’s father put his life in danger by giving him a car to drive.
The juvenile’s father’s attorney, Prashant Patil, verified that the court had given him bail on Friday night.
Patil stated that he had informed the court that section 75 of the JJ Act is non-cognizable and does not contain an arrest provision during the debate on his client’s bail application that took place ten days prior.
According to Patil, the court ordered the father of the minor to cooperate with the police and to follow all rules set forth in order to be granted bail.
The five had also been granted bail by the court, according to Adv S K Jain, who represented Pralhad Bhutda, the owner of Cosie, Sachin Katkar, the manager of Cosie, and Sandip Sangale, Nitesh Shevani, and Jayesh Gavkar, all employees of the Blak Club Hotel.
As per Jain, he argued in court that his clients should be granted bail because section 77 of the JJ Act is non-cognizable and there is nothing to investigate against them.
Parents in Judicial Custody
The mother and father of the juvenile accused are presently being held in judicial custody in connection with their son’s alleged blood sample swamping. Dr. Ajay Taware, the former head of the Sassoon General Hospital’s forensic medicine department, Dr. Shrihari Halnor, the hospital’s chief medical officer, and employee Atul Ghatkamble are among those detained in this case.
Additionally, a bail request has been made for the juvenile’s grandfather and father in the case of the driver’s kidnapping and wrongful detention. He continued, “There will be an argument on June 25.”
The minor is housed in an observational program till June 25, 2024.
Amidst widespread indignation, police requested a review of the decision from the JJB after he was granted bail. The juvenile was sent to an observation home after the JJB modified its order.
