Supriya Sule, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader and Baramati MP, on Thursday questioned Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the Pune Porsche accident case. Sule said that Fadnavis should reveal who tried to pressurise the police and how did the minor accused get a bail.
Sule also expressed her surprise at Devendra Fadnavis "rushing" to Pune and making comments about the accident. A 17-year-old boy, who was driving a Porsche at dizzying speed and was drunk at the time of the accident as per the police, knocked down two IT professionals in Pune's Kalyaninagar in the early hours of Sunday.
"Fadnavis told reporters here that police should not come under any political pressure. I want to tell him that those in power can pressure the police in such probes. My question to Fadnavis is who pressured the police and how despite such a heinous crime, the kid got bail," news agency PTI quoted Sule as saying.
The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) granted bail in the case around 15 hours later to minor accused, son of 50-year old real estate developer Vishal Agarwal. The minor was granted bail under the condition that he would write a 300-word essay on the "effect of road accidents and the solution", study traffic rules, give a presentation on the same and assist accident victims in the future, if he witnesses any.
The minor was also asked to work with the Yervada traffic police for 15 days. He was also told to get medical treatment from a doctor so he could quit drinking and seek psychiatric counselling. Meanwhile, Sule also claimed that MLA Sunil Tingare of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar intervened in the matter after the accident.
Calling the state government 'careless and insensitive,' Sule said, "I also want to know how (MLA) Sunil Tingare intervened and helped (the boy) in getting bail. The state government is careless and insensitive. Be it drink and drive, drugs found in Pune or blasts in Dombivli MIDC, this government is not interested in solving issues."
Pune Porsche case update
On Thursday, the bail granted to the minor accused was cancelled by the JJB, given the nationwide anger due to its alacrity. The minor has been sent to an observation home till June 5 as per the JJB's order.
The minor may now be tried as an adult as the Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said in a review application before the JJB to allow the minor to be tried as an adult. The Pune Police also sought the minor should be sent to a remand home.
Moreover, along with the juvenile's father, the sessions court also remanded two employees of the Hotel Black Club, where the minor reportedly consumed alcohol before the accident. A case has been registered against the owner and employees of the bars the boy visited before the incident for 'serving alcohol to an underage person.'
They also registered a case under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act against the father. While Section 75 deals with 'willful neglect of a child, or exposing a child to mental or physical illnesses,' Section 77 deals with 'supplying a child with intoxicating liquor or drugs.'
An FIR has also been registered against the minor under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 304 A (causing death by negligence), 279 (rash driving) and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.