Pune Porsche accident: Bombay High Court orders release of teen accused, says remand illegal

The Bombay High Court on June 25 ordered the release of the accused juvenile involved in the Pune Porsche accident case. The court found the previous decision to detain him unlawful and overturned it. In May, a Porsche allegedly driven by the 17-year-old crashed into a motorcycle, causing the deaths of two software engineers in the city. Due to public outcry over the quick bail granted to him, the accused teenager was placed in custody by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).

One month after the incident, Justices Bharti Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande, in granting the relief, stated that while the accident was regrettable, it was not appropriate to detain the minor in an observation home. The court has instructed the Juvenile Justice Board to release the teenager.

Given that the minor's parents and grandfather are presently in prison, custody of the teenager has been given to his paternal aunt.

The Porsche accident took place in the early hours of May 19. 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 him to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, an order that drew an onslaught of criticism.

Following an outcry over the quick grant of bail, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on May 22 remanded a 17-year-old youth allegedly involved in a car accident that claimed two lives to an observation home.