Pune: The families of Ashwini Koshta and Aneesh Awadhiya were left shattered as they laid their bodies to rest in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Two young software engineers, Aneesh and Ashwini, were out for dinner with friends in Pune on Saturday, May 18. As they were returning from a restaurant in the Kalyani Nagar area, their motorbike was struck by a Porsche driven by a drunk 17-year-old. Both Aneesh and Ashwini lost their lives in the accident. However, the teenage driver, the son of a prominent Pune realtor, secured bail just 15 hours after his arrest. While speaking to Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, the families of Aneesh and Ashwini highlighted the systemic failures they faced. “Nobody cooperated with us there (Pune),” Ashwini’s father, Suresh Koshta, shared with Arnab, highlighting the lack of support during their ordeal.  

"The system and administration in Pune didn't support us much, there were attempts to make us leave the city with the mortal remains as soon as possible so that the matter remains away from the media limelight." Soni also raised questions on the juvenile court's bizarre bail conditions, saying," Even after the death of two innocents, the court asked the accused to write an essay! Two families have lost their pillars, they are devasted", Gyanendra Soni, victim Aneesh’s uncle said.

He added, "The system was influenced. After the accused was arrested, he was made to sit at the hospital for 10 long hours. His blood samples were not collected immediately, why? It seems that the delay was deliberately done to cover up the matter."  

Earlier in the day, expressing grief over the death of Anish, his father Om Awadhiya said his son was not only supporting himself but was also taking care of his younger brother as the latter also stayed with him in Pune. The culprit will get punishment...That is okay...But how can we bring back our child now? He had spoken to his mother just two days before the incident and told us that he would come soon. He was a big support for the family," he said.

"What will happen to my younger son now? Who will take care of his expenses in Pune?" he asked. 

Pune Porsche Crash: Anger Across The Country

The Pune Porsche crash has ignited a fierce debate over whether the rich brat, a 17-year-old teenager involved should be tried as an adult. Public outrage has been further intensified by what many see as bizarre bail conditions granted to the teenager, which some argue are too lenient given the severity of the incident.

While a faction of people across the country is calling for a reassessment of the legal approach, stressing the need for accountability and justice for the victims, legal experts and the community are divided, with some advocating for a more stringent approach to deter similar incidents in the future, while others stress the importance of rehabilitation for young offenders. See how people across the country reacted on social media.

“Indian judiciary should be ashamed. Vedant Agarwal had been drinking at a pub and later killed two innocent IT Employees, after 15 hours Court granted him bail Alcohol test was negative. Punishment was writing a 300-word essay, Shameful”, wrote a social media user.

“When in India most of the people lie about age, give importance to the nature of the crime, a 17yr drunk is a man, not a boy. Many yrs ago even 12-year-olds were tried as adults, in the US. Judges set the wrong example. This murderer is a mafia builder 's son”, another said.

Bars That Served Liquor to Accused Teen, His Friends Sealed

On the order of Pune District Collector, the Excise Department of the district has sealed Cosie Bar and Black Bar which had allegedly served liquor to the minor accused. The boy's father and the pub, identified as Cosie, are facing legal action under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act. These sections pertain to neglecting minors and providing them with alcohol or narcotics.

Underage Drunk Driver Was Bar Hopping Before The Crash  

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the teenager, along with his friends, began their night of partying at Cosie Bar from 9:30 pm to midnight before moving to Black Bar, where they continued until 1 am on Sunday. Shortly after leaving the bars, the teenager was involved in a high-speed crash, leading to the death of 2 young techies. If reports are to be believed, the teenager had spent ₹48,000 on food and drinks on the night of the accident.

'Accused Juvenile Should Be Tried As An Adult'

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy CM Fadnavis expressed shock and surprise over the Juvenile Justice Board taking a lenient view of the Pune car crash. Addressing the media after meeting police commissioner Amitesh Kumar and other officials, Fadnavis said the police have approached higher court seeking permission to try the juvenile, who was granted bail, as an adult.

After the crash, the accused teenager was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which granted him bail hours later. It also directed him to visit the Regional Transport Office and study traffic rules, and submit a presentation to the Board within 15 days."The CCL (Child in Conflict with Law) will write an essay of 300 words on the topic of road accidents and their solutions," the JJ board order read.

"The order passed by the JJ Board was shocking and surprising as it had taken a very lenient view of such a heinous crime. The Pune police had petitioned the board to allow them to treat the teenager as an adult as his age is 17 years and eight months. But the board kept the application aside by categorising it as 'seen and filed' and released him on bail which led to public outrage," said Fadnavis.

The higher court has asked the police to approach the JJ board again and seek a review of its order, said the deputy CM, adding that the police have approached the JJ board and filed a review petition. "If the order is not reviewed, then the police will approach the higher court," he stated.