GUWAHATI: A Pune court has granted bail to the father and grandfather of a 17-year-old boy involved in a fatal accident. The two were accused of kidnapping and confining their family driver in an attempt to cover up the teenager's actions.
The case has drawn considerable public attention due to the high-profile nature of the individuals involved and the serious charges against them. The father and grandfather, prominent figures in Pune, were accused of unlawfully confining their family driver and coercing him to take responsibility for the accident that occurred on May 19.
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According to the police, the duo offered the driver money and gifts to persuade him to falsely admit to driving the car during the incident. They faced charges under Sections 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) and 368 (wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
After their arrest, they were placed in judicial custody for 14 days starting from May 31. The incident in question involved the 17-year-old son of a well-known Pune builder, who, while driving in Kalyani Nagar, collided with a motorcycle, resulting in the deaths of two people.
The car reportedly dragged one of the victims for some distance before coming to a halt after hitting another vehicle. The juvenile was charged under various sections of the IPC, including Section 304A (death by negligence), Section 279 (rash driving), Sections 337 and 338 (causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety), along with relevant sections of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Act.
The boy's father faced additional charges under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, specifically Section 75 (neglect of a child causing mental or physical suffering) and Section 77 (supplying a child with intoxicating substances). He secured bail on these charges on June 28.
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Initially, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) released the boy under parental monitoring soon after the accident. However, his bail was subsequently revoked, and he was detained in an observation home.
On June 24, the Bombay High Court intervened, ruling that the detention order was illegal and issued without proper jurisdiction. The High Court directed that the teenager be placed in the custody of his paternal aunt, overturning the earlier decision to keep him in the observation home.
