Another Rich Brat Crushes 4 Under Wheels In Kanpur. High Time To Ammend Juvenile Laws?

New Delhi: As the nation reels from the shock of the Pune Porsche Case, calls for amending juvenile laws have intensified following another tragic incident in Kanpur. A 15-year-old teenager, previously involved in a fatal accident in 2023 where two lives were lost, has now been implicated in yet another devastating incident. This time, on Tuesday, he crushed four women to death, intensifying calls for a comprehensive overhaul of juvenile laws to effectively address such grave offences. 

When Republic World shared an article about the Kanpur mishap on X (previously Twitter), the social media platform was flooded with comments about revising juvenile laws. "Till the time our laws are not strict, this will keep happening. This concerning issue needs immediate attention”, an X user shared. 

Another asked,"How come these ***** are not punished just because they are juveniles? And what he did next, killed 4 more people.. and again will be left free! How pathetic of a law is this?"

What Happened in Kanpur? 

A 15-year-old boy, son of a prominent doctor, crushed four people to death with his car. The mishap occurred Tuesday night when a group of women were crossing GT Road near Maharajpur police station. The women were taken to the hospital where they were declared dead. The deceased have been identified as Sarita (40), Poonam Pandey (40), Jyoti Tiwari alias Rupa (30) and Divya alias Chanchal.

If reports are to be believed, the 15-year-old boy's reckless driving had claimed the lives of 2 people last October. Following the latest incident, the teenager was sent to a juvenile home, and legal proceedings against him in the six-month-old case resumed.

Speaking to a leading daily, Kanpur City Commissioner Akhil Kumar came down heavily on the teenager's family for allowing him back behind the wheel despite his involvement in a fatal accident last year. Kumar stressed that the city police were taking decisive measures to tackle the issue of underage driving and urged the public to act responsibly.

Police reported that the youngster was driving a car on Tuesday and collided with four people, resulting in injuries to them. While the injured received first-aid treatment, the 15-year-old was charged under IPC sections 279 and 338 for reckless driving.

The boy's father has been charged in both mishaps. 

The recent mishap in Kanpur has added fuel to the fire amidst a wave of national outrage ignited by an incident involving the alleged deaths of two techies at the hands of a super-rich brat driving a Porsche in an inebriated condition.

Pune Porsche Crash  

On May 19, a Porsche, allegedly driven by a wealthy individual, collided with a motorcycle in Pune's Kalyani Nagar, resulting in the tragic deaths of two tech professionals. According to police reports, the juvenile driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

With the case capturing national attention, concerns have been raised regarding the perceived leniency of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). Initially granting bail to the minor, the JJB requested him to write an essay reflecting on the incident. However, in response to mounting public scrutiny, the JJB revoked the bail on Wednesday night. The minor has now been remanded to the Yerawada home, situated on the same premises as the JJB, until June 5.

What is Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015?

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, introduced and passed in Parliament in 2015, replaced the previous laws governing juvenile delinquency, including the Juvenile Delinquency Law and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000. A significant provision of the new Act was the allowance for the trial of juveniles aged between 16 and 18 years as adults in cases where the nature of the crimes warranted such consideration. 

The determination of whether a juvenile should be tried as a minor or an adult was entrusted to a Juvenile Justice Board. This provision gained momentum following the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, where one of the accused was just short of 18 years old and was consequently tried as a juvenile.