A Juvenile Justice Board will decide if the teenager involved in a deadly car crash in Pune should be tried as an adult, according to the lawyer representing the accused.
The lawyer, Prashant Patil, explained the process on Wednesday, detailing the 90-day procedure set by the Juvenile Justice Act to determine if the accused, referred to as a Child in Conflict with Law (CCL), should be considered a minor or an adult.
Patil outlined that investigative agencies must file a charge sheet within 30 days of arrest if they want the juvenile to be treated as an adult. After this, a two-month process follows, including psychological and social assessments and a de-addiction test. These procedures are monitored by the Juvenile Justice Board through regular reports, and the final decision is made after 90 days.
In response to applications from investigative agencies to modify the bail issued, the Juvenile Justice Board directed that the CCL be kept in a rehabilitation home for 14 days until June 5.
Patil mentioned that there were debates and arguments in court, with both sides citing proceedings from the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.
The Juvenile Justice Board has set parameters regarding the rehabilitation of the CCL within the 15-day remand period, details of which will be fully outlined upon receipt of the written order.
On Wednesday evening, the Juvenile Justice Board cancelled the bail of the 17-year-old accused of killing two people in a car crash on May 19. The accused was sent to a remand home for 14 days until June 5.
Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar stated that they had filed a review application before the Juvenile Justice Board to allow the juvenile to be treated as an adult and to send him to a remand home.
The accident resulted in the deaths of two IT professionals, Ashwini Koshta and Aneesh Awadhia, both from Madhya Pradesh. Officials reported that the accused's father had not cooperated with the investigation, prompting Pune police to seek him for further questioning. When the police gave him notice to join the investigation, he misled them by stating he was in Shirdi, while he was actually in Aurangabad.
Additionally, police sought custody of the staff from the bar where the accused teenager and his friend were served liquor before the crash. Allegedly, the 17-year-old later crashed the luxury car he was driving into a motorcycle, resulting in the deaths of Koshta and Awadhia.
Police noted there was no sign on the bar premises indicating that alcohol could not be served to minors.
The Pune Excise Department sealed the bars that allegedly served liquor to the minor before the accident. The managers of these bars were also arrested. The tragic incident has sparked widespread attention and criticism, highlighting the need for stricter enforcement of laws regarding alcohol service and juvenile justice.
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