Caira Kareen
Justice is said to be done when the law is applied, but in reality, it often happens only when the public is watching-when people demand punishment, when the media decides a story is worth telling. The worst part is, we never know when they will decide a case matters, or when they feel like giving it attention. One story is highlighted, while another is ignored. But these are not just stories or movie scenes-they are real lives, real people, and broken families. They say justice delayed is justice denied, but often, justice is denied simply because no one is watching. It hides behind privilege, power and money.
This Pune Porsche case has made headlines, not because justice was served but because it showed us how easily justice can disappear in front of power. The Pune Porsche case a 17 year old boy,Vedant Agarwal four months away from turning 18 driving under the influence of alcohol, without a license in his unregistered Porsche Taycan Turbo S owned by his father at the speed of 200 km/h,run over two individuals on a motorbike, named Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta. Ashwini allegedly was thrown 20 feet up in the air and died on the spot, regarding Aneesh, he later succumbed to his injuries and passed away. Both were working professionals in the IT field and Ashwini was planning to visit her family soon.What about them? Didn’t they deserve to have a nice dinner with friends and come back home? What if I tell you just like most people, they worked hard to get to where they were. They were trying to build their life for their families and one day a rich 17 year old decides to drink and drive. He takes away all their dreams and their life too. But what followed the incident wasn’t justice, it wasn’t accountability either.It was a show of power,It was a demonstration of how privilege can save you.
The boy named Vedant Agarwal was just released with bail in under 15 hours of the incident, instead of trying him as an adult the Juvenile Justice Board of India decided to coddle Vedant like a baby and told him to write a 300 word essay on road accidents and take counselling sessions. Now what was supposed to be justice for the families of the victims, turned into a mockery overnight with a 300 word essay.
Influence of media
But this time, the public decided to act. There was a nationwide outrage, reflected in articles like
India Today’s Exclusive: Pune teen must be tried as adult, says top cop amid outrage over bail”
Pune’s Commissioner of Police, Amitesh Kumar, stated that the 17-year-old should be tried as an adult, reflecting the public’s demand for stricter action.
The Hindu: “Pune car accident: After public outrage, Juvenile Justice Board cancels bail of accused minor”
public furore led the Juvenile Justice Board to cancel the bail of the 17-year-old accused, sending him to an observation home.
Times of India: “Porsche crash case: Social media outrage leads to bail cancellation, accused likely to be treated as ‘adult” highlights how social media backlash influenced the decision to cancel the minor’s bail and consider trying him as an adult. only after that did the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis travelled to Pune and met with the Pune Police chief to address a press conference to express his “shock and surprise” about the Juvenile Justice Board’s decision Immediately after this, the police decided to ask the Juvenile Justice Board to review their decision and try Vedant as an adult.
Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, a minor aged 16 to 18 can be tried as an adultif The crime is a heinous offence. For example, rape or murder, where the minimum punishment is seven years.
It was only after public outrage and the intervention of influential public figures that the police decided to request a review, if it hadn’t been for that, the police would have chosen their side, they had chosen to sweep everything under a rug and to look the other way.
People are not blind, they choose to unsee things, people are not deaf They choose what they want to hear and what they do not,People are not mute,They choose to speak about what only benefits them and what does not.
Psychological aspect
What if I tell you, there is a term that exactly fits this case.
Affluenza- a condition that describes the psychological and social effects, where a child is so affected by the wealth, accumulated across generations that they fail to understand the consequences of their actions. They have no sense of morality. This is caused by over indulgence, being spoiled to an extent where there is no bound left, and extreme privilege.
In an interview with NDTV (May 24, 2024), psychologist Dr. Neha Kadam, who evaluated the accused, said…
After the Pune Porsche case, a psychologist named Neha Kadam was called to counsel the accused. She later told the news media that she met him for 30 minutes, and during that time, she saw no signs of guilt or fear. In a very composed way, he asked her when he would be let out.
She said, ‘There were no signs of guilt on his face. He was unaffected and didn’t feel bad for the people who lost their lives. When I told him about the accident, he just nodded and said, “Okay.
That brings us to The impact of negligent parenting:
Negligent parenting can have tremendous effect on the child
It can lead the child to think they’re superior than everyone (superiority complex), it can lead to a lack of empathy, impulsivity they do things for a thrill. It can lead to Optimus bias a psychological term, thinking it can only happen to others, but not them.
Vedant likely grew up in a parenting environment that allowed him to think that money can fix everything,
Punishment doesn’t exist for the wealthy and that power means privilege. They have a habit of blaming their mistakes on others. To grow up in an environment filled with concepts like these, a household where accountability was replaced with damage control. It will mess with growing child’s mind.
The age from 13 to 21 is a very tender age to form a child. Children try to look for their own identity.
We all believe in second chances and that’s exactly what makes us human. We believe in people that they can change. Of course mistakes can be corrected, that remorse can lead to redemption. But what about someone who never saw his actions as a mistake in the first place?
It wasn’t an accident caused by panic or unawareness it was done in full senses, but absolutely no regret as stated by Police Commissioner of Pune, Amitsh Kumar that the minor was in his full senses. This statement was reported by PTI and published in Live-mint on May 24, 2024.
A second chance without reflection is just a repeat waiting to happen.
Legal aspect:
The legal, drinking age in India differs from state to state, but we know that it starts from 18 and it’s up to 25.
The legal driving age in India starts from 18
We all know by now, Vedant was not 18.
What’s more disturbing Is that Vedant was supposed to be tried under the section 304IPC
Section 304IPC: culpable homicide not amounting to murder, that means vedant had the knowledge that what he is doing can hurt or cause someone’s death. But instead, he was tried under the section 304A IPC
Section 304A IPC: death by negligence, that means Vedant didn’t know what he was doing. it was never in his intention to harm someone. The maximum punishment is two years. Rash/drunk driving comes under the section 304AIPC. However, The police commissioner of Pune, also stated that the minor was in his full senses.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Crime in India 2020” report, a significant majority of juveniles apprehended for crimes fall within the 16-18 age group. In 2020, 76.2% (26,954 out of 35,352) of juveniles in conflict with the law were between 16 and 18 years old. Despite the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, permitting juveniles aged 16-18 to be tried as adults for heinous offences, there is a lack of consolidated national data detailing how many juveniles are actually tried as adults each year. This lack of data shows that we need better records to understand how well the law is actually being used and if it’s working the way it should.
In the end A case was registered against the minor boy under the Indian Penal Code Sections – 304A (causing death by negligence), 304 (culpable homicide), 337 (negligent driving endangering safety of others), 338 (rash or negligent act that endangers personal safety) and 427 (mischief causing loss or damage punishable with imprisonment, which may extend to two years or with fine, or both), and other sections of the Motor Vehicles Act. but this doesn’t end here. On 25 June, after a plea from the maternal aunt of the accused, the Bombay High Court directed the police to release the accused, declaring the previous remand order illegal and for the accused to be under the care and custody of the aunt. So was justice served? because I don’t think justice looks like this. Justice is not privilege, justice is not preferential treatment. What was suppose to be justice turned into an insult to the victims and their families, to the public who fought against the system.
Conclusion
In the end, We need to face the truth, it is not about just one case, one boy, or one tragedy. It’s more than what lies behind the media. It’s the system that bends for the rich and stands rigid for the poor. This story got recognition because the media chose to tell it, what about those stories which lie behind this media. Millions of tragedies, thousands of life taken and hundreds of families shattered.
In a country, where laws can have loopholes for the rich and become a punishment for the poor. We all know if Vedant Agarwal had been poor, he wouldn’t be writing a 300 word essay, instead he would’ve been behind bars or maybe worse.
The truth is justice isn’t blind, It see status, power, and benefit. it turns a blind eye for the ones that see justice as their only option.
Our laws must be reformed, not to punish, but to protect, not to judge, but to provide justice. We all should believe that laws are the only thing that protect us not in words, but in practice.Laws are meant to protect everyone, not just the ones the world decides to notice. If we stay silent for the million stories that didn’t make the headlines, we become the part of the problem, not the solution.
(The author is a student of Vantage School Dehradun)
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