Pune: Committee Formed to Investigate Juvenile Justice Board’s Handling of Porsche Accident Case

Pune, 29th May 2024: The Maharashtra state’s Woman and Child Development Commissioner has established a four-member committee to examine whether the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) properly followed judicial procedures when granting bail to the teenager involved in the May 19 Porsche Taycan crash. The inquiry will target the two members appointed by the state government to the board, according to Commissioner Prashant Narnaware.

The JJB also includes a principal magistrate appointed by the judiciary, and the tenure for all three members is three years. The teenager, 17, was granted bail just 15 hours after the accident on a surety of Rs 7,500 and a promise from his grandfather to keep him away from bad influences. The bail conditions also included writing a 300-word essay on road accidents and visiting the regional transport office to study rules and regulations.

Following public outrage and a review application by the police, the JJB on May 22 revoked the bail and sent the teenager to an observation home until June 5.

Narnaware stated, “In response to the backlash on social media, a committee has been formed to review the actions of the two board members. The committee will assess their past records and orders, submitting its report by the first week of June.”

The two members were appointed about a year and a half ago, and depending on the committee’s findings, the state government could terminate their appointments.

Activists have criticized the initial bail conditions as inadequate given the severity of the accident. Anuradha Sahasrabudhe, former director of Dnyandevi Childline and former JJB member, noted that the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act does not prescribe strict punishments but stressed that decisions should be made thoughtfully. “The speed of the hearing is suspicious, and the 300-word essay is a misinterpretation of the act’s spirit,” she said.

Advocate Satya Muley, practicing at the Bombay High Court, highlighted concerns about the impartiality of the JJB. “One of the state-appointed members issued the controversial order to release the minor with conditions like writing an essay. The public prosecutor should have considered the possibility of trying the juvenile as an adult, given the heinous nature of the offence,” he said.

Narnaware mentioned that there are 106 children in conflict with the law housed in over 1,000 observation homes across the state.

The accident occurred around 2:30 am on May 19, when a Porsche Taycan driven by the 17-year-old son of a Pune-based builder collided with a motorcycle in Kalyaninagar, killing two IT engineers, Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24 and from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.