Drunk Minor Crashes Porsche, Killing Two IT Engineers in Pune: Should Parents Be Punished?

The Pune police detained the father of a minor involved in the Pune Porsche crash case under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act for allowing his son to consume alcohol and drive the Porsche while intoxicated.

The court has sent the minor’s father to police remand. The incident occurred on May 19 in Pune, India, around 2:30 am. CCTV footage revealed that the intoxicated minor was driving the car at an estimated speed of 160 km/h when it crashed into the victims' motorcycle.

This was confirmed after a police investigation. Immediately after the accident, the minor was arrested and taken to the police station for further investigation. It was discovered that he was a minor and intoxicated with alcohol.

He was immediately sent for a medical examination and a blood test. The police booked him under the following sections of the Indian Penal Code: 304, 304A, 337, 338, 427, and 279, as well as MVA sections 184 and 119/177.

What Led to the Massive Media Outrage?

On May 19, the Juvenile Justice Board of Pune granted bail to the minor under the following conditions: Write a 300-word essay on road accidents and their solutions; and assist traffic officers and study traffic rules for 15 days.

These conditions led to a massive outrage on social media. The public questioned why a minor who committed such a negligent act received only a 300-word essay and 15 days of work with the traffic officers as punishment.

After the bail conditions went viral, people criticised the police and the Indian judiciary system. This soon became a pan-Indian breaking news story and gained attention nationwide.

The police then invoked Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) section 185 in the case and filed a review application against the bail granted to the minor boy.

The police commissioner stated that generally, IPC section 304A (causing death by negligence) is invoked in accident cases. “But considering the heinous nature of the incident, we have invoked IPC section 304, which deals with culpable homicide and provides punishment of up to 10 years of imprisonment,” he said.

Now the matter is in the Pune District Court. The police arrested the boy’s father, a real estate developer in Pune, for allegedly giving him a car without number plates and money despite knowing that he drinks and is a minor without a driving licence.

The police have also arrested the owners and managers of two Pune restaurants, where liquor was allegedly served to the minor boy before the accident.

A separate FIR was lodged against the father and the owners and managers of the two restaurants under sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and the MVA. The court has remanded them in police custody till May 24.

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