The father of the 17-year-old Pune teen - who killed two people after illegally consuming alcohol and then driving his dad's Rs 2.5 crore Porsche sports car sans a license of any sort - has been sent to jail by a city magistrate court.
The father will be in jail for 14 days - till June 7. The police had sought custody for seven days. The magistrate court's ruling means he can now apply for bail, which he is expected to do before a higher court.
The father's jail term ends two days after the end of the remand period of his son; the boy got bail within 15 hours - on terms as ridiculous as a 300-word essay on road safety - but the Juvenile Justice Board on Thursday changed its order after outrage, and sent him to a remand home till June 5
The court was told police need extended access as the father has not co-operated with the inquiry.
The cops also said they need to question him about visitor logs from his home and, crucially, on the potential destruction of evidence - it appears CCTV footage from the boy's house has been tampered
In addition, the father's original mobile phone - left at home to avoid being tracked when he went on the run after the incident - is now with the police and will be examined by an expert. The cops said they need continued access to the father so they can confront him with the contents of the phone.
And, finally, the cops said they need custody of the father to answer questions about the Rs 48,000 his son and the boy's friends reportedly spent at the Cosie Bar in the hours before the incident.
The bill and other details have not yet been furnished by the establishment, the cops said.
In response the father's lawyer - who told NDTV the cops had no proof his client had prior knowledge of his son's activities or intentions, which is a critical link - insisted the cops had no case.
READ | "Cops Have Proof?" Pune Teen's Lawyer On Case Against Dad
He also hit out at media coverage of this case and said it could only be detrimental for his client.
A prominent city builder, the father had been charged with willful neglect of his son under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice, which carries a maximum jail term of three years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
In today's hearing the father - arrested 24 hours after the horrific incident, while trying to escape from the cops - was also charged with cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code. Under this law the father faces a maximum jail term of seven years and a fine. He may also be booked with destruction of evidence, police sources said.
The charge relates to an unpaid amount of Rs 1,758 as registration for the Porsche his son was driving when he rammed into the two-wheeler carrying Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta.
The Porsche was bought in the name of Brahma Ledgers but never registered, the cops said.
The teen faces a drunk driving charge that, for a first-time offender, allows a six-month jail term and a fine of Rs 10,000. He could face the much sterner charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder should the Juvenile Board allow the legal system to try him as an adult.
At 17 years and 8 months, the boy was four months short of the legal age for driving and eight years shy of Maharashtra's legal drinking age, which is 25.
READ | In Pune Porsche Crash: Cops Probe Cops In Pizza Row
The case took a dramatic twist Thursday after police said it will also investigate potential lapses in protocol in the hours following the incident, including possible preferential treatment for the boy.
Allegations against the police station that first filed the complaint include underplaying the incident in first write-ups and delaying a medical examination, which should have been done immediately to establish blood alcohol levels. This morning sources told NDTV the test had, in fact, been delayed.
READ | Pune Porsche Crash: Teen Wasn't Taken For Medical Test On Time
Police sources said the rules say the test is to be administered immediately, but the teen was instead taken to the police station - where he may have been given pizzas, burgers, and water (the last of which could dilute any trace of alcohol in his system) - and given the test only several hours later.
Also, the Police Control Room was not informed of the incident, as they should have been.
READ | "Parents Told Driver To Take Blame, Offered Cash": Cops
Meanwhile, the investigation into the horrific crash itself has thrown up some disturbing issues, including claims the boy's family had attempted to bribe the driver - who was in the passenger seat and, earlier in the night, been ordered to allow the drunk boy to drive - to take responsibility.
READ | Pune Teen Fought With Driver For Porsche's Keys: Sources
Police sources said reconstructing the sequence of events indicated it began with the boy's grandfather - who has been linked to a prominent Mumbai gangster - giving him the car keys and a credit card. Several drinks into the evening the intoxicated boy argued with the driver, who was reportedly told by the dad to allow the teen to get behind the wheel of the high-performance car.
The police have told NDTV they will build a "watertight" case against the teen and the father, and have argued the boy was conscious enough to understand what he was doing at all times.
READ | Pune Teen Was "Fully In His Senses": Top Cop On Porsche Crash
"We have CCTV footage of him drinking liquor... our case does not depend on the blood report. He was in his senses. It was not as if all (the boy was out drinking with two friends) were so drunk they could not understand anything. They had full knowledge..." Pune Police chief Amitesh Kumar said.
The incident happened after the boy and his friends were out celebrating clearing the Class 12 exam.
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