Outrage erupted in India after a 17-year-old teen accused of killing two people while drunk driving was given a punishment of writing a 300-word essay on road safety.
He was also ordered to perform 15 days of community service to be granted bail. The decision was made within 15 hours of his arrest, CSB News reported.
Source: @RABI4ABVP on X
Many criticized the judiciary for being too lenient, arguing that the incident deserved a harsher penalty.
According to local police, the teenager drove his Porsche after drinking with friends at two bars in Pune.
Speeding through narrow roads, he collided with the motorcycle carrying the two victims, causing them to be thrown into the air.
The woman died on the spot while the man died at the hospital, according to an India Today report.
Source: @ThevarSteffy on X
The boy’s father, a businessman, was arrested for allegedly letting his underage son drive. The owners of the two bars that served alcohol to the minor have also been arrested, and their establishments have been seized.
According to a report by The Strait Times, the legal driving age in India is 18. However, NDTV noted that the legal drinking age in the state of Maharashtra, where Pune is located, is 25.
In 2015, India amended its laws to allow minors between 16 and 18 years old to be tried as adults for crimes considered heinous.
Maharashtra state’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis noted that the boy is 17 years and eight months old. He also emphasized that the incident was a heinous crime.
After three days of public outrage over the initial decision, the Juvenile Justice Board revoked the teen’s bail and sent him to a juvenile detention centre until June 5.
Further investigation will be conducted to determine whether he should be tried as an adult and face a more severe sentence.
Initially charged with causing death by negligence, the teen now faces the more serious charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Additionally, he was charged with drunk driving offences.
“We have adopted the most stringent possible approach, and we shall do whatever is at our command to ensure that the two young lives that were lost get justice, and the accused gets duly punished,” said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar.
Under Indian law, a person convicted of drunk driving can face up to six months’ prison and a fine of about $120 on their first offence.
The offender can face two to seven years in prison if it leads to the death of another person.
Also read: Man in Belgium cleared of drunk driving charges because his body makes its own alcohol
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Featured image adapted from @RABI4ABVP on X, @ThevarSteffy on X.
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