The main accused in the Pune Porsche crash case - in which an allegedly drunk teenager rammed his father's Rs 2.5 crore electric supercar into a two-wheeler and killed two software professionals - cannot be tried as an adult now, despite having crossed that threshold, the Juvenile Justice Board has said.
The main accused - out 'celebrating' exam results by heavy underage drinking, and running up a bill of Rs 48,000 in just 90 minutes - was 17 years old at the time of the tragic incident; he was four months short of the legal age for driving and eight years shy of Maharashtra's legal drinking age, which is 25.
The crash, and the death of Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both from Madhya Pradesh and both just 24, led to outrage, particularly since the accused is the son of a prominent Pune businessman and the local police were accused of deliberately mishandling critical evidence to ensure his release.