Merc hit-and-run: Juvenile Board turns down teen’s bail plea

The accused had turned 18 four days after killing the victim– 32-year-old Siddharth Sharma earlier this month.

The Delhi Police is now moving the JJB to allow the accused to be tried as an adult. According to senior lawyers, the JJB can carry out a “preliminary assessment” as to whether the crime was of a heinous nature and also “whether the accused has the level of understanding and maturity to be tried as an adult”.  In case, the juvenile accused falls under these categories, he could be tried as an adult. The court will take this up on April 23.

The Delhi Police had last week slapped graver charges - culpable homicide - on the juvenile driver after learning that he was a repeat offender and had also arrested his father for abetting the crime. The boy’s father—Manoj Aggarwal, who has been charged with abetment to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, was later granted bail and released on a personal bail bond of Rs one lakh. The dummy driver was also arrested and later released by the court.

The juvenile was driving the Mercedes car for the past two years and before the accident he was challaned four times – twice for over speeding, rash driving and wrong parking.

Friends and family members of victim Siddharth Sharma , who were present in the court room, said: “While rejecting the bail plea, the Judge said the boy has been driving this car for last two years and repeated challans were issued and the parents were well aware of what was happening. So there is no case of the boy just having sneaked out with the keys. The fact that the boy has been driving the car despite the challans is a classic case of bad home atmosphere.” When the judge made these observations on bad parenting, the parents of the accused were present in the court room. 

It is worth mentioning that during the preliminary investigation, the SHO of Civil Lines police station and other officials close to investigation seemed to be going easy on the accused. These officers had not slapped harsher charges in the case. 

Millennium Post in it’s earlier reports brought out glaring loopholes in the case. After much public outcry the case was transferred to the special unit of North Delhi police.