Maharashtra Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday called the Pune car accident case "disturbing".He met the police officials to take a stock of what has been happening in the case and also discussed the future course of action. Fadnavis condemned the "lenient" punishment given to the boy by the Juvenile Justice Board - 300-word essay on accidents, working with the traffic police for 15 days and undergoing counselling for his drinking - in contrast with the heinous crime. "How can the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Board give such an order," he asked.
The Porsche car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old, who the police claim was drunk at the time, knocked down two IT professionals in Kalyani Nagar area of the city in the early hours of Sunday. Witnesses said Ashwini was thrown 20 feet in the air and Aneesh was flung into a parked car. Passersby were seen rushing to the spot after the collision. "We have appealed to the district court against the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Board order There is a huge public outrage. I have taken stock of the investigation updates till now," he said.The minor, son of a prominent realtor in Pune, was seen drinking with his friends at a bar hours before the crash. The police have arrested the owners of the bar for allowing underage drinking. "The minor is 17 years 8 months old and as per the Nirbhaya case anyone above 16-year-old above should be considered as adult in case of heinous crimes," stressed the Deputy Chief Minister.
Earlier, in the day, police detained the boy's father who is a real estate tycoon. "The chief minister, deputy chief minister and home minister (Fadnavis), and the (Pune) guardian minister (deputy CM Ajit Pawar) have given clear instructions to the police to take stringent action in this case. The state director general of police has also instructed for strong action," Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told reporters. He was addressing the public's concern that the police was not taking adequate action in the case.Kumar affirmed that both the government and the police were committed to take stringent measures against those responsible.
Asked about any pressure on the police in this case, the official said that from the beginning, the police have been acting according to the law and there was no pressure from any quarter."I mentioned yesterday that we are ready to discuss every legal step taken by the police. We have taken the most stringent possible action. If legal experts believe there are more stringent provisions available, they should come forward for a public discussion," he said.A case has been registered against the youngster under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder ) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, as per the police