Porsche crash: Panel finds procedural lapses, misconduct by JJB members over minor’s bail; Show cause notices served
Though the order granting bail was issued by one member Laxman Dhanawade, the other members gave consent the next day “without crosschecking the facts”
A committee formed to probe the conduct of two Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) members in connection with the bail granted to the minor accused in the Pune Porsche crash case has found “procedural lapses”, “misconduct” and “non-compliance of norms”, an official said on Saturday.
The state women and child development department (WCD) has served show cause notices to the two non-judicial members of JJB asking them to submit their reply within four days, the official said.
The five-member panel appointed by the state government submitted its over 150-page report to the state women and child development commissioner Prashant Narnaware.
“The report is comprehensive and mentions glaring lapses and procedural issues while issuing the bail order by a single-member JJB on May 19,” said Narnaware.
Though the order granting bail was issued by one member Laxman Dhanawade, the other members gave consent the next day “without crosschecking the facts”, said another official requesting anonymity.
The WCD department has issued an eight-page notices to two JJB members for showing “too much” leniency in giving bail to the 17-year-old teenager who killed two young techies after crashing his Porsche Taycan into their bike in Pune on May 19.
According to Narnaware, JJB members’ reply will be forwarded to the state government for appropriate action.
Sources said the committee had pointed out at least 20-25 points where JJB members showed “too much” leniency in giving bail as they did not consider remand application submitted by the Pune police in which the cops had invoked additional Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code. The panel found that the JJB members ignored suspicious blood reports as it carried eraser ink marks. The JJB members also did not follow any roster for their Sunday work and carried out their responsibilities as per verbal instructions on May 19, which happened to be Sunday.
“Orders passed by a single JJB bench could have been overturned the next day by other members, but they signed it without crosschecking the facts,” an officer said.
There was a public uproar after JJB granted bail to the minor on lenient conditions such as writing an essay on the accident and working with the traffic police for 15 days. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home department, had to rush to Pune and direct the police to file a review petition against the order passed by JJB.
JJB on May 22 cancelled the minor’s bail and sent him to an observation home till June 5, which was extended up to June 25.
The Pune police have arrested the juvenile’s father, mother, grandfather, two doctors and a staffer from Sassoon General Hospital in the case.
