Pune Police Challenge Juvenile Justice Board Order In Porsche Crash Case, Seeks Teen's Trial As Adult
The Pune Police has approached the sessions court challenging the Juvenile Justice Board's (JJB) order denying permission to try the teenager accused in the Porsche crash case as an adult. Speaking to CNN-News18, advocate Prashant Patil, who represents the boy, confirmed the development but said he has not yet received a copy of the police's plea.
In its petition, the police have termed the matter an 'exceptional case" and sought a psychoanalysis test of the juvenile. The move comes after the JJB ruled that the 17-year-old, accused of fatally running over two people while allegedly driving a Porsche under the influence, would be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The high-profile crash took place in Pune's Kalyani Nagar area in May last year, killing IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa, who were on a motorcycle.
The Juvenile Justice Board had earlier rejected the Pune Police's plea to try the teenager accused in the Porsche crash case as an adult. The board ruled that the accused, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, would be tried as a minor under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The prosecution had pressed the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to try the 17-year-old boy, accused of fatally running over two people while allegedly driving a Porsche under the influence, as an adult, citing the 'heinous" nature of the crime.
Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa said the intent behind Section 15 of the Juvenile Justice Act is fundamentally rooted in the principle of reformation for children in conflict with the law. 'The provision is well-meaning and should remain in place," he noted, but added that its implementation is often casual and inconsistent.
'This casual approach needs to be addressed, either by the Supreme Court or through legislative intervention by Parliament," he had earlier said, pointing out that the provision was introduced following the Nirbhaya case to strike a balance between justice and rehabilitation.
He further said the Act does provide a mechanism for appeal against the Juvenile Justice Board's order and suggested that Pune Police could explore that option in this case.
'In several instances, proper psychological and social assessment is not conducted as per the guidelines. This leads to juveniles involved in heinous crimes slipping through the cracks," Pahwa observed. 'A more rigorous and standardised implementation of the law would better serve its original reformative intent."
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