Pune accident: Some are more equal than others

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: A 17-year old who ran over and killed two persons in a drunken state in Pune being granted bail provided he wrote an essay on the incident and undergoes a 15-day training course with the traffic police has come in for severe criticism.

The accident occurred on Sunday when the juvenile, the son of a prominent realtor, allegedly went partying in his Porsche car after the conclusion of his PU two exams and later on, in an inebriated state ran over a bike killing two persons.

On Monday, a Pune court granted him bail on what critics claimed were lenient terms.

The deceased have been identified as Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both techies who hail from Madhya Pradesh.

The underage driver’s father has been arrested under the Juvenile Justice Act and the Motor Vehicle’s Act for alleged negligence in letting his son drive.

Meanwhile, the Juvenile Justice Board’s perceived lenience has come under the scanner even as Pune Police sought permission to try the 17-yearold as an adult. The request was struck by a court but the cops are mooting moving the Maharashtra High Court.

State Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also said that he’d like to try the juvenile as an adult given the severe nature of the crime. Modi’s unequal India, says Rahul Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the 'lenient' attitude towards the juvenile, the son of a wealthy man, was consistent with how comfortable Prime Minister Narendra Modi was with inequality.

“When bus, truck, Ola, Uber and auto drivers run over people and accidentally kill them, they are jailed for 10 years and their keys are cast aside. However, if a 16 or 17-year-old from a rich household drives a Porsche while being drunk, he is told to write an essay. Why don’t you ask for essays from bus, truck, Uber and auto drivers?” Rahul asked.