Pune Porsche Crash: Can the accused be tried as adult, What the Law says?

New Delhi: Days after the teen has allegedly killed two Software Engineers to death, a massive argument has erupted whether the teen should be punished as per law like other accused or should he be sent to a remand home? The accused teen was drunk at the time of the accident and was driving at a speed of 160km/ hr. According to sources, his father who is a prominent builder in the city knew about his son going to meet his friends and was having alcohol and he was not carrying a license to drive the car.

The Pune Police lodged an FIR under which the father allowed his son to drive without a license despite knowing the fact that the car was unregistered since the accused’s father hasn’t paid the Road tax.

How can the minor be tried as an adult? 

The Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill ( Care and Protection of Children) was passed in 2021, it was passed in Rajya Sabha in July, 2021. According to the Juvenile Justice Bill under section 15 of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, The minor can be tried under 3 categories- serious offence, heinous offence and petty offense.

A teen who is between the age of 16-18 charged with heinous crime can be tried as adult according to the 2015 Juvenile Act. The child can be tried as an adult depending what’s his age on the date of the offense if he was a minor or an adult when the incident happened.

According to the act, if the minor has allegedly committed a heinous crime, the act allows the board to go through an evaluation about his physical and mental ability to commit such a crime and the ability to realize the outcome of the act and the situation under which he has committed the act.

Difference between the crime and the Punishment?

Heinous offence like sexual offense and violent crime attracts a maximum punishment of 7 yrs or more

The Juveniles can also be tried under the National Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Arms actm Unlawful Activities act, Schedules Caste and Scheduled Tribes act and Terrorist and Disruptive Activities act and Food safety and Standards Act.