More than a year after the fatal Porsche car crash in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar that killed two IT professionals, the prosecution on Monday urged the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to try the 17-year-old accused as an adult, citing the grave and “heinous” nature of the offence.
The tragic incident occurred on May 19, 2023, when the teenager, allegedly in an inebriated state, rammed a Porsche car into a motorcycle carrying Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa, killing both on the spot. The case drew national attention for the severity of the allegations and the involvement of a minor from an influential family.
Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray, appearing for the Pune Police, informed the JJB that the hearing on the prosecution’s application—pending for over a year—was finally held on Monday after repeated adjournments sought by the defence. “We have argued that the act committed by the juvenile is a heinous one. Not only were two lives lost, but there were also attempts to tamper with evidence. The juvenile was aware that driving under the influence could endanger lives,” Hiray stated.
He contended that the gravity of the offence met the threshold under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act for treating a child in conflict with law (CCL) as an adult.
Opposing the plea, defence counsel Prashant Patil cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shilpa Mittal v. State of NCT of Delhi, which defines “heinous offences” as those where the minimum punishment prescribed under law is seven years or more. “In this case, none of the sections invoked carry a minimum sentence of seven years. Therefore, the prosecution’s application is not maintainable,” Patil argued.
Patil further asserted that the JJB had already conducted the mandatory preliminary assessment and had not concluded that the child should be tried as an adult. He contended that without such a finding, the prosecution’s demand lacked legal standing.
