"Equal action will be taken against everyone": BJP leader Ashish Shelar on Pune car accident

The two IT professionals, who were travelling on a bike, died on May 19 at 2.30 am after a car allegedly driven by a drunk 17-year-old boy crashed into them.

"Whether it is a big builder or a big name, equal action will be taken against everyone and an investigation will be done," the BJP leader said.

When asked about the Maharashtra assembly election that is slated to be held this year, Shelar said, "In the matter of seat sharing in the Maha Yuti, Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Dada Pawar will talk and find a solution. There is also time to decide who will be the face of the Chief Minister".

The tenure of the Maharashtra Assembly ends on November 26.

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed to immediately release the 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in the Pune car accident from the observation home. The juvenile was under observation at the home of the Juvenile Justice Board for 36 days after the incident.

The court deemed the orders remanding him to an observation home as illegal and emphasized that the law regarding juveniles must be fully implemented and stated that justice must be prioritized above all else.

The division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande of the Bombay High Court emphasized that justice must be realized regardless of consequences. The court made it clear that it was not swayed by the uproar surrounding the tragic accident that resulted in the loss of two innocent lives.

The High Court criticized the Juvenile Justice Board's remand orders as "illegal" and passed without jurisdiction. The court also reprimanded the police for their handling of the situation, noting that law enforcement agencies had succumbed to public pressure.

The court emphasized that regardless of the seriousness of the crime, the accused is still a child under the Juvenile Justice Act and must be treated as such. The Act aims at rehabilitation and social integration of juvenile offenders, and confinement in an observation home is only permissible when bail has not been granted.

HC in its order stated, "For the aforesaid reason, we issue a writ of Habeas Corpus directing the release of the CCL from the Observation Home where he is detained, despite being released on bail by a validly passed order by the Board on 19/5/2024 forthwith. We also quash and set aside the impugned order dated 22/5/2024 the subsequent orders dated 5/6/2024 and the order dated 12/6/2024, which have authorized the continuation of the CCL in the Observation Home which, according to us, is illegal, as the orders being without jurisdiction conferred on the Board."

The court also added, "At this stage, we must, however, clarify that since the rehabilitation and reintegration of the child in the Society is a primary object of the Act of 2015 and because of the orders passed being in the Observation Home, if the CCL is referred to a Psychologist or undergoing therapies with the de-addiction centre, the same shall be continued with the CCL participating in these sessions on the given time and date, though he shall continue to remain in his home or any safe place, being on bail and the conditions imposed upon him by the order dated 19/5/2024 shall continue to govern him."

"In addition, we also direct that the CCL shall continue to be under the supervision of the petitioner, his paternal aunt, who shall ensure the compliance of the necessary direction issued by the Board to assist him to be rehabilitated," it stated.

On June 21, the Pune district court granted bail to Vishal Agarwal, the father of the accused teenager in the primary case where he was booked under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. But, his 77-year-old grandfather is still in judicial custody for allegedly forcing the driver to take responsibility for the crime on behalf of his grandson. (ANI)