Juvenile justice panel may deliver verdict in Mercedes hit-and-run case today
NEW DELHI: The Juvenile Justice Board is likely to pronounce the judgment today against the minor, who allegedly mowed down a 34-year-old while speeding in his Mercedes car.
The Class-12 student surrendered to the police last Sunday after which he was sent to a juvenile justice home. The Delhi Police had last week slapped culpable homicide charge on the juvenile driver after learning that he was a repeat offender and had also arrested his father for abetting the crime.
The teen, who turned 18 years old four days after the accident, was said to be going at 80 km an hour when he hit marketing consultant Siddharth Sharma near Ludlow Castle School in North Delhi’s Civil Lines area. Minutes before hitting Sharma, the Mercedes car had grazed past two bikers near the Delhi Vidhan Sabha. They were not injured and did not file any complaint.
The boy’s father, who has been charged with abetment to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, had also been arrested. He was later granted bail and released on a personal bail bond of `1 lakh.
The police are also preparing to challenge the bail granted to the juvenile’s father.
The boy was first apprehended last Tuesday but bailed within
THE CLASS 12 STUDENT SURRENDERED TO THE POLICE LAST SUNDAY AFTER WHICH HE WAS SENT TO A JUVENILE JUSTICE HOME
hours because the police had then booked him for causing death due to negligence. But on Friday when the police learnt that the juvenile had been involved in speeding and other similar accidents – driving without a licence – a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was registered.
In a recent three-part series, HThad highlighted the menace of underage driving and the dangers it poses to the safety of commuters in the city.
In a ploy to mislead the police, a man had claimed before the court that he was driving the car when the accident took place but later retracted his statement. He was later arrested for giving false information.
The family of the victim had released CCTVfootage of the incident, which went viral on the social networking websites. The grisly video showed Siddharth Sharma crossing the road and a speeding Mercedes car hitting him, throwing him several feet in the air.