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
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