Mercedes case: Board reserves order on plea to try minor as adult

NEW DELHI: A Juvenile Justice Board on Friday reserved its order on the issue of trying a teenager who had allegedly run over a 32-year-old marketing executive while

NEW DELHI: A Juvenile Justice Board on Friday reserved its order on the issue of trying a teenager who had allegedly run over a 32-year-old marketing executive while driving his father’s Mercedes, as an adult in a trial court.

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The presiding officer of the board is likely to pronounce the order on Saturday, on the application filed by the Delhi Police seeking transfer of the case to a trial court. The boy became a major just four days after the April 4 incident.

During arguments before the JJB, special public prosecutor Atul Shrivastava said the boy committed traffic violations earlier and had “bluffed the court and the police by claiming to be a major”.

He said the boy belongs to the 16-18 age group and so this offence comes under definition of “heinous crimes.” Therefore, his trial should be transferred to the trial court, he said.

The Delhi Police had on May 26 chargesheeted the juvenile in the JJB for the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder entails a maximum of 10 years jail.

Initially, a case under IPC sections 304 A (causing death by rash or negligent act) was lodged against the boy but later on he was booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The police said in its charge sheet that the boy ran over Siddharth Sharma when the latter was trying to cross a road near Ludlow Castle School in north Delhi on April 4.