Pune Porsche crash case: How drunk teen escaped trial as adult
Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray argued that the circumstances of the case went beyond just reckless driving. "In this case, the boy was allowed to drink and drive. After the crash, there was an attempt to manipulate the judicial process by swapping blood samples. The integrity of the system was shaken," Hiray told the board.The prosecution claimed that after the fatal crash, the boy's blood samples were collected at Sassoon Hospital but the police suspected tampering. A second sample was collected at Aundh Government Hospital as a safeguard. However, the accused, including the boy's parents, allegedly tried to get that sample swapped too but the doctors refused to cooperate.DEFENCE CITED TOP COURT RULINGDefence counsel Prashant Patil countered that the Supreme Court's Shilpa Mittal vs State judgment makes clear that only crimes with a minimum punishment of seven years can be labelled 'heinous'."We had cited a Supreme Court judgement - Shilpa Mittal Vs State in which the SC has defined what constitutes a heinous crime. The guidelines decided by the Supreme Court are binding on everyone. However, the plea by the prosecution is contrary to the apex court's judgement. We demanded that since the plea is contrary to the SC guidelines, it is not maintainable," Patil said.The counsel also said that to define a certain crime as heinous, the prosecution must have a section (invoked in the case) in which the minimum punishment is seven years."In the present case, there is not a single section which has a minimum punishment of seven years. So, we argued that the prosecution's plea is not maintainable," he said.WHAT JUVENILE BOARD SAID?After hearing both sides for nearly two months, the Board sided with the defence and concluded that the criteria for trying the teen as an adult had not been met."In view of the ratio laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Shilpa Mittal's case, considering the age and nature of the alleged offences, it being serious offences, the child should not be subjected to preliminary assessment under Section 15 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The provision of preliminary assessment is only for heinous offences," the board ruled.advertisement"Despite the settled position of law, these applications are moved. Under such circumstances, Preliminary Assessment is not done and the Board is left with no option but to reject the said applications," it added.JJB'S FILMSY PUNISHMENTThe teen was initially granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Court within hours of the fatal crash — on lenient terms that included writing a 300-word essay on road safety — triggering public outrage. He was later sent to an observation home, but the Bombay High Court ruled the remand illegal and ordered his release, insisting the juvenile law be fully upheld.Meanwhile, a sessions court is still hearing arguments to frame charges against ten other accused, including the teen's parents. Currently, the boy's mother is currently out on bail while the other accused, incuding his father, remain in jail.- EndsMust Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Police busts sex racket in Maharashtra's Palghar; 3 Bangladeshi nationals held
Police have arrested three Bangladeshi nationals after busting a prostitution racket operating at a house in Maharashtra's Palghar district and rescued a minor girl and a woman from the premises, officials said on Tuesday. During the raid, the police caught three alleged agents in the flat and rescued a minor girl who was being pushed into flesh trade.( Praful Gangurde /HT Photo) Acting on a tip, the police's anti-human trafficking cell personnel conducted a raid in a flat at Naigaon in Vasai area on July 26. During the raid, the police caught three alleged agents in the flat and rescued a minor girl who was being pushed into flesh trade, Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar's Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madan Ballal said. A woman, aged 21, was also rescued from the premises, he said. The three arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Khalid Bapari, Juber Harun Sheikh and Shamin Gaffar Sardar, all hailing from Bangladesh, the official said. The rescued girl and the woman also hail from Bangladesh, and had allegedly been trafficked into India and forced into the flesh trade, he said. They have been lodged at a centre of the Rescue Foundation, the official said. An FIR has been registered against the accused under various sections, including 96 (procuration of child), 98 (selling child for purposes of prostitution, etc), 143(3), 143(4) (trafficking of person) and 144 (exploitation of a trafficked person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. They have also been booked under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, the police said.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Karnataka HC rejects govt appeal in SC/ST Act case, flags delay in filing plea
BENGALURU: Rejecting the appeal filed by the state government against the acquittal of the accused for offences committed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the High Court of Karnataka asked the prosecution to draw the attention of the legislature to find a remedy for not filing the appeal against the acquittal within the stipulated period. 'It is always open for the special public prosecutor (SPP) to place a copy of this order before the legislature to amend the statute if need be to provide a remedy for a litigant in such circumstances, where the delay has occurred on account of reasons that are not attributable to a negligent litigant, but on account of bonafide reasons,' said Justice V Srishananda while rejecting the appeal filed by the government against the acquittal order of September 7, 2023, passed by the district and sessions court at Yadagiri. Before this, SPP BA Belliappa contended that taking away the right of appeal only on the grounds of technicality may be harsh in a given case and substantial justice would be denied to a litigant. The court, however, said no doubt there is merit in the arguments put forth by the SPP. Nevertheless, since there is a statutory bar which is mandatory in nature in view of the word 'shall' being found in the second provision to Section 14(2) of the Act. As such, the courts are only expected to enforce the law that has been enacted by the legislature. Arguing on behalf of the accused, Basalingappa and five others from Shahapur, their counsel contended that the court has no power to condone the delay of more than 180 days as per Section 14-A of the Act. The accused were acquitted for the offences under the Act and also under the provisions of the IPC.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Faced online abuse for years, but rape threats are a new low: Actor Ramya
Actor-politician Ramya has slammed fans of Kannada star Darshan for harassment on social media. On Monday (July 28, 2025), Ramya lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, against fans for online abuse. A couple of days before her complaint, Ramya had shared news reports regarding Supreme Court proceedings in the murder case of Renukaswamy, in which Darshan is one of the accused persons. The actor spoke to The Hindu about being threatened by the fans, who also sent her 'obnoxious' messages on social media. Excerpts: Online abuse of female actors is growing at an alarming rate... Trolling and abusing female actors have become common because people aren't speaking openly about it. Most women fear character assassination. They are not comfortable with the abuses they receive. Our self-respect and dignity are given importance in society because, as women, that's how we have been raised. If women had the courage in the past to take the legal route, perhaps we wouldn't be facing such a serious situation today. For how long have you been receiving offensive messages online? I have faced online abuse for years, but nobody had ever said 'I want to murder you or rape you'. That's what these fans are sending me now. People have called me a slut or a whore. I have gotten used to these kinds of comments, and that's the sad part. Unfortunately, I have become immune to it. Imagine the trauma women carry by facing constant abuse online. A couple of years ago, fans of two stars were targeting each other, and they commented badly about the children of one of the stars. I found it disgusting, and I put out the screenshots of those uncivilised messages on social media to expose these fans. The stars should have stepped in to bring some sense to their respective fans. Darshan should have said he doesn't like such behaviour from his fans. Maybe then, the Renukaswamy incident might not have happened. He (Renukaswamy) was your fan, and this is the kind of behaviour you have encouraged. What made you take a stand against Darshan in the Renukaswamy murder case? Most women cannot afford legal fees in such battles. They can't afford to put themselves out in public because they have a family to take care. They have confided this to me. Fortunately, I am in a position of privilege; I have been a former MP. I have been in politics, so I have the contacts and the support. I don't want to deny that. That said, if I don't use that privilege for something meaningful, I am letting down other women. ALSO READ:Actor Ramya reacts to Darshan row: No one is above the law Should stars advise fans to be socially responsible? In the past, so many actors had registered fan clubs. Those clubs used to conduct blood donation camps and involve themselves in philanthropy. However, fan wars have become the norm now. This is why I am upset at those who remain silent about trolls and abuses. You think these fans are faceless and can't go beyond their so-called bravado online, but they are actually capable of going on the roads and beating people who speak against their favourite stars.
