Pune: The Commissioner of the Women and Child Welfare Department has recommended disciplinary action against two members of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) who granted bail to a minor involved in the Kalyaninagar accident case under certain conditions, including writing a 300-word essay.
A five-member committee was formed by the department to investigate the decision. The committee submitted a detailed report of over 100 pages, highlighting errors made in the bail process.
This report has been forwarded to the state government with a recommendation for action against the JJB members. Attempts to reach Prashant Narnaware, Commissioner of the Women and Child Welfare Department, were unsuccessful.
Bail Granted Hastily and Against Protocol
On May 22nd, the Women and Child Welfare Department appointed a committee to investigate whether proper guidelines were followed in granting bail to the minor. The committee, established under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, submitted a comprehensive report.
The report indicated that the minor was granted bail in haste and that proper procedures were not followed. It was observed that once a member granted bail, the other member did not need to support the decision and could have canceled the bail order.
The accident, which occurred on May 19 at around 2:30 AM, involved a high-speed car crash that resulted in the deaths of Anish Avadhiya, a software engineer, and Ashwini Koshta, both riding a two-wheeler. The minor son of Vishal Agarwal was taken into custody following the accident.
The Juvenile Justice Board had initially granted him bail under conditions that included writing a 300-word essay, working with traffic police for 15 days, and undergoing de-addiction treatment.
Public outrage ensued after the minor was granted bail. Subsequently, the police appealed to the Sessions Court against the Juvenile Justice Board's decision, which resulted in an order to place the minor in a juvenile detention center.
