Delhi hit-and-run: Minor a repeat offender, denied bail

[JANASENA]

The Juvenile Justice Board today dismissed the bail plea of a Class 12 student who is accused of killing while driving his father's Mercedes at high speed in Delhi. The board termed the case as a classic case of bad parenting. 

According to sources, the Juvenile Justice Board rejected the bail application of the minor  observing that he was a repeat offender. He had been earlier warned by the traffic police for rash driving. 

"Happy that accused's bail is rejected. This case should be a lesson for all parents," Shilpa Mittal, victim's sister said.

The accused, who turned 18 just four days after the accident, was allegedly driving at a speed of 80 kmph when his car hit Siddharth Sharma in Delhi's Civil Lines area on April 4. He surrendered on April 10 and was sent to a Juvenile Justice Home. His father was also taken into judicial custody but granted bail later.

The boy's father was arrested under section 304 (abetting the crime of culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC for letting his minor son to drive even after knowing that he had caused an accident earlier. 

Police had apprehended the minor accused on April 5, a day after he killed Sidhharth Sharma by hitting him with his Mercedes car the previous night when the victim was crossing a road  after buying eatables.

He was then freed on bail as he was only booked under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.

Police had earlier told the court that CCTV footage showed that the minor offender was driving the car way above the permissible speed limit in a residential area.