Porsche case: Pune police plan to move SC against release of juvenile accused

Pune police are planning to approach the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order for the release of a 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in the Porsche car accident here in May, a senior official said on Monday, 1 July.

The HC on 25 June directed that the boy be released immediately, saying the Juvenile Justice Board's (JJB) orders remanding him to an observation home were illegal and the law regarding juveniles must be implemented fully.

The teenager, who got bail hours after the accident on 19 May, was sent to the observation home in Maharashtra's Pune city three days later following an outcry.

After the HC order last week, the juvenile was released from the observation home and his custody was handed over to his paternal aunt.

The order was passed on a petition filed by the boy's aunt, who claimed he was illegally detained.

The Pune police are planning to approach the Supreme Court against the Bombay HC order, Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told PTI on Monday.

As per the police, the teen was drunk and driving the luxury car belonging to his father, a real estate businessman, when it hit a two-wheeler in Kalyani Nagar area of Pune in the early hours of 19 May, killing two IT professionals.

The juvenile's parents and grandfather are currently in jail in two different cases pertaining to the incident, including one of alleged swapping of blood samples of the boy and another case of alleged kidnapping and wrongful confinement of a family driver, who was threatened to take the blame that he was behind the wheels when the accident took place.

A Pune court is expected to pronounce its order on Monday on the bail plea of the boy's father and grandfather in the case of alleged kidnapping the driver.

After the accident in the early hours of 19 May, the boy was granted bail the same day by the JJB and ordered to be under the care and supervision of his parents and grandfather. It also asked the boy to write a 300-word essay on road safety.

As the quick bail on lenient terms led to public outrage, the police filed an application before the JJB, seeking amendment of the bail order.

On 22 May, the board ordered the boy to be taken into custody and remanded him to the observation home.