Pune:

The case against the Pune teen – who killed two people early Sunday while drunk and driving his father’s Rs 2.5 crore Porsche supercar – took an additional twist Thursday evening.

The police will now also investigate potential lapses in protocol in the hours following the incident, including possible preferential treatment for the 17-year-old son of a prominent city builder.

Specifically, a senior cop – Assistant Commissioner of Police Ashwini Rakh – will question officers and staff at the police station in Yerwada where the complaint was first filed. The allegations include underplaying the horrific nature of the incident in the first write-ups and delaying a medical examination, which should have been done immediately to establish the boy’s blood alcohol level.

But perhaps most shocking is a claim that the cops were more interested in ‘investigating’ Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta – the 24-year-old software professionals who were killed.

Pizza, Burger For Teen In Pune Porsche Crash?

Meanwhile, an opposition politician has said the boy was handled cautiously and even given food – pizzas and burgers – while in police custody as an accused in a stomach-churning road accident.

The claim was made by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief and two-time ex-Lok Sabha MP Prakash Ambedkar, who posted on X, “Officers at Yerwada Police Station spent more time questioning the relationship between Anish and Ashwini – IT professionals fatally knocked down by drunk minor -while the accused was allegedly served burger and pizza”, and posed six questions to the cops.

Officers at Yerawada police station spent more time questioning the relationship between Anish and Ashwini — the two IT professionals who were fatally knocked down by the drunk minor — while the accused was allegedly served burger and pizza.

This is how the system benefits the…

— Prakash Ambedkar (@Prksh_Ambedkar) May 22, 2024

Among the questions he raised (and which may now be answered) were the eight-hour delay in administering a blood alcohol test and why the boy was not sent directly to a remand home.

READ | “1 Hour TV, 2 Hours Play Time”: Pune Teen’s Remand Home Schedule

There was outrage after the Juvenile Board gave the boy bail within 15 hours on conditions as ridiculous as two bonds of Rs 7,500 each and writing a 300-word essay on road accidents. Late Wednesday that order was revised and the boy was sent to a remand home till June 5.

At present the boy faces a drunk driving charge that, for a first-time offence, limits punishment to six months jail and a fine of Rs 10,000. A charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder will be levied should the Juvenile Board allow him to be tried as an adult.

Rahul Gandhi On Pune Porsche Crash

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has also questioned the cops over preferential treatment for the boy, asking why accused in similar cases – if they are auto or cab drivers – don’t get bail as quickly.

READ | With 7 Conditions, Teen Porsche Driver Got Bail On Grandad’s Say

“When a teen from a rich family drinks alcohol and kills two people in a Porsche… he is told to pen an ‘essay’. Why are bus, truck, and auto drivers, or cabbies, not asked to write such essays?”

“The question is of equal justice (for) the poor and prosperous…” he said.

Father’s Mobile Phone Found

Police have also found the mobile phone of the boy’s father, who was arrested the day after the incident from Sambhajinagar (earlier Aurangabad) after an elaborate rescue plan was thwarted.

READ | Pune Teen’s Father Had Big Escape Plan. How Was He Caught?

The phone – understood to be the father’s original, which he left at home while trying to escape the cops – is now in the custody of the Crime Branch, which says he is not cooperating with the probe.

The father faces a charge of willful neglect of his son under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

NDTV Explains | Charges Against Pune Builder, Son Who Killed 2 With Porsche

The bar where the boy was served alcohol has been sealed, and its owner and staff are in police custody. They are being investigated for selling liquor to an under-aged individual.

At 17 years and 8 months, the boy was four months short of the legal age for driving and eight years shy of Maharashtra’s legal drinking age, which is 25.

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Bhopal:

At 3 am today, an ambulance drove into Birsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh’s Umaria district. As soon as its doors opened, family members of 24-year-old Aneesh Awadhiya broke down. The young IT engineer, who had been working in Pune, was among the two people killed after a speeding Porsche driven by a drunk teen hit their bike.

Atmaram Awadhiya, Aneesh’s grandfather, said the teen driver, son of a prominent Pune realtor, should not have been granted bail. “Two people have died in this accident. This is completely wrong. We want strict punishment. The bail granted to the accused should be cancelled,” he said.

Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, also an IT engineer, were returning from a get-together late on Saturday. Around 2.15 am, their bike was hit from behind by a speeding Porsche. Both Ashwini and Aneesh died on the spot. The driver, aged 17 years 8 months, was granted bail by a Pune court within 15 hours with some conditions — he has been asked to write a 300-word essay on accidents, work with traffic police for 15 days and undergo counselling and treatment for his drinking habit. The incident and swift bail have sparked massive outrage. Pune police have said they had urged the court for permission to try the accused as an adult, but the plea was rejected. They have now decided to move the sessions court. The teen’s father has now been arrested.

At Aneesh Awadhiya’s home, the family members are shattered by the cruel manner in which they lost their son. Visuals showed relatives hugging each other and crying. His uncle Akhilesh Awadhiya said, “The accused, a minor, was drunk and was driving at 240 km per hour. He did not have a driving licence. This is murder, not accident.”

Last night, the body of Ashwini Koshta reached her home in Jabalpur. Her family, too, is furious over the bail granted to the accused and has vowed to fight for justice till the end. “We are in shock. It is condemnable that he got bail in 15 hours. He and his parents should be investigated. We will discuss the matter once Ashwini’s last rites are over,” said her uncle Jugal Kishor Koshta. “She had so many dreams, she wanted to excel in her career and make her parents proud. We cannot express our grief.”

“We want his bail cancelled. Because of him, an innocent girl, who had seen nothing of life, has died,” said Ashwini’s uncle Sachin Bokde.

Pune:

The father of the 17-year-old boy involved in a fatal car accident that killed two people has been arrested by Pune Police from Maharashtra’s Aurangabad. The accident took place in the early hours of Sunday morning in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area. According to police reports, a luxury Porsche, driven by the 17-year-old, collided with a motorcycle, instantly killing Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa. The crash, captured on CCTV, revealed the car travelling at an estimated speed of 200 kmph in a narrow lane.

The case has now been transferred to Pune Police’s crime branch. 

According to Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, the minor had been celebrating his class 12 results at a local pub, where he was seen consuming alcohol before the crash. The legal drinking age in Maharashtra is 25, making it illegal for the establishment to serve him. Consequently, the bar owners are also facing charges for serving alcohol to a minor.

The aftermath of the incident has been marked by intense public outcry, particularly following the Juvenile Justice Board’s decision to grant the minor bail just 15 hours after his detention. The board also imposed a series of rehabilitative conditions, including mandatory counselling, a de-addiction program, and a 300-word essay on road safety. This lenient response has been widely criticised given the severity of the accident.

In response to the bail decision, Pune police have filed an application with the sessions court to try the juvenile as an adult. This move is grounded in the belief that the crime’s gravity warrants harsher judicial scrutiny. “We have taken yesterday’s incident seriously. We have taken action under section 304 of IPC, which is a non-bailable section as it was a heinous crime,” said Commissioner Kumar.

While awaiting a decision from the sessions court, Pune police have also arrested the boy’s father, a prominent local builder, under sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act. These sections pertain to willful neglect of a child and providing intoxicating substances to a minor, respectively. 

Additionally, the police have initiated legal action against the pub where the minor was seen drinking. The proprietors face serious charges for their role in providing alcohol to the minor boy, contributing to the tragic events that followed.

Pune:

The 17-year-old boy at the wheel of the speeding Porsche that hit a bike in Pune Saturday night, killing a man and a woman, was out on bail 15 hours after he was arrested. His lawyer Prashant Patil said a court granted bail to the minor on conditions — he has to work with traffic police in Yerwada for 15 days, write an essay on accidents, undergo treatment for his drinking habit and take counselling sessions. The accused is the son of a prominent Pune realtor.

Twenty-four-year-olds Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both engineers from Madhya Pradesh working in Pune, were returning on a bike after attending a get-together with friends. The Porsche, which eyewitnesses have said was driving at over 200 km per hour and had no number plates, hit the bike. Ashwini was thrown about 20 feet in the air and landed hard, said an eyewitness. Aneesh was thrown at a parked car and suffered serious injuries. Both died on the spot.

“The accident took place around 2.15 am. The car was in full speed. The driver was fleeing after the car hit the bike, but the airbags deployed. He could not see the road and parked the car. And locals caught them. Besides the driver, there were two occupants in the car. One of them escaped. The crowd beat up the other two,” said an eyewitness, an auto-rickshaw operator waiting for a ride.

The eyewitness said police reached the spot in 15 minutes.

The minor, it is learnt, was returning with his friends from a pub where they were partying to celebrate clearing their Class 12 exams.

Following a complaint by a friend of one of the victims, an FIR was registered under sections relating to death by negligence and rash driving. The teenager’s father and the pub that served him alcohol are also likely to be charged, police have said.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said police had urged the court to treat the accused as an adult because this is a “heinous crime” and sought his custody. Police will approach the sessions court against the bail order, he said. “The father of the juvenile accused who handed over this car without a number plate to him to drive and allowed him to go to a pub has also been proceeded against. The establishment that served alcohol has also been proceeded against,” he said. 

The case is now being investigated by an Assistant Commissioner of Police-level officer and a “watertight case is being made out”, he said. The police commissioner said it is clear that the boy was driving under the influence of alcohol. Several eyewitnesses have said the teenager and his friends were heavily drunk.

The incident has sparked massive outrage, with many blaming lax laws for deaths due to rash driving and minors on the wheels.

Anurag Kulshrestha, president of an NGO that works for road safety, told NDTV, “There is no fear of law. In Pune, when authorities tried to enforce the helmet rule, all political parties came out to protest. We are living in an indisciplined society.”

Pune:

The Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to the accused involved in a recent car accident in Pune, said the juvenile accused’s advocate, Prashant Patil. The bail comes with several conditions aimed at rehabilitation and awareness.

The conditions include the following: The accused should work with the traffic police of Yerawada for 15 days; the accused should write an essay on the accident; should get treatment from the concerned doctor to help him quit drinking; and should take psychiatric counselling and submit a report.

“The juvenile accused who was arrested by Pune Police has been granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board on certain conditions including that the accused should work with the traffic police of Yerawada for 15 days, accused should write an essay on accident, should get treatment from the concerned doctor to help him quit drinking and should take psychiatric counselling and submit the report,” Prashant Patil said.

In the early hours of Sunday, two individuals, including a young woman, lost their lives after a luxury car collided with their motorcycle near Kalyani Nagar in Pune, said police officials.

The victims were identified as Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa. The tragic incident occurred at about 3:15 am. The driver of the car, reportedly a minor, has been apprehended.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar Magar of Pune City Police confirmed that the juvenile has been apprehended and his father and the owner of a bar that served him alcohol have been booked. An FIR has been lodged, and an investigation is underway.

“A bike rider and pillion rider were killed when a speeding car hit them from behind in the Kalyani Nagar area last night. The accused has been arrested, and an FIR has been registered. We are also verifying the certificates to ascertain the accused’s age, as he claims to be a minor,” stated DCP Magar.

The police have charged the minor with rash and negligent driving and causing harm by endangering life or personal safety under IPC sections 304A, 279, 337, 338, and 427, along with relevant sections of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Act, added the DCP.

The juvenile’s father and the bar that served him liquor face charges under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, said the city police in Pune.

According to the FIR, the accident occurred as a group of friends were returning home on their motorcycles after a party at a restaurant in Kalyani Nagar. At the Kalyani Nagar junction, a speeding luxury car struck the bike carrying Awadhiya and Costa, causing them to fall and die instantly. The car subsequently crashed into roadside pavement railings.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)