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Delhi teen, accused of killing biker, had 'no remorse': Juvenile Justice Board
Even though the teen accused seemingly appeared without any remorse during JJB hearing, his father has expressed deep remorse and apologised to Sahil’s mother.
The 17-year-old boy who was allegedly driving the SUV that rammed into a motorcycle and a taxi in Delhi’s Dwarka earlier this month, killing 23-year-old Sahil Dhaneshra, “does not understand the preciousness of life,” the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) observed.
In its order accessed by HT, the Board noted that when the teenager appeared before it on February 4, a day after the fatal crash, he “appeared to show no remorse” and seemed unaware of the value of a human life.
“Upon enquiry from the CCL [child in conflict with law], it appears that he does not understand the preciousness of life of a person and is not remorseful towards his act,” the order dated February 14 stated.
The Board that the boy was then sent for “rehabilitation and appropriate counselling” and for his “safety and security” to an observation home, Hindustan Times reported earlier.
New video emerges
A new video of the fatal accident, which happened on February 3 at around 11:50 am near the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management in Dwarka’s Sector 11, has emerged on social media showing the aftermath of the accident.
Also read: 'Let my son's sacrifice be a lesson': Dwarka crash victim's mother has a warning for parents
The clip, which is over a minute long, shows a crowd gathered at the accident site and engaging in an argument with the 17-year-old accused and his sister, seemingly preventing them from leaving. In the video, the sister is heard saying that the biker was speeding.
The video shows Sahil lying on the side of the road after the accident with his bike, an R15 Yamaha, lying on the road as well, along with a damaged Swift Dzire cab standing stationary which was also hit by the SUV during the accident.
The authenticity of the video is being verified by the police.
Accused’s father expresses remorse
Even though the 17-year-old accused seemingly appeared without any remorse during his JJB hearing, his father has expressed deep remorse and apologised to Sahil’s mother. He said that he is “ready to abide by the decision of the judiciary".
The accused’s father is also facing a case and was held responsible by the Delhi Police under the Motor Vehicles Act, HT reported earlier.
"I was in Gorakhpur for work when I got a call on February 3 informing that my son had met with an accident. I returned to Delhi immediately and received the details from the police," he said, reported news agency PTI.
"I sincerely apologise to the mother who lost her son. I am ready to seek her forgiveness and will follow whatever decision the law and judiciary make," he said, adding that he would not “dare” to face her as he can not undo her loss.
Accused on interim bail for Class 10 exams
The 17-year-old accused is a student of Class 10 and is appearing for the ongoing Board exams, for which he got an interim bail by the JJB on February 10. However, he has been asked to surrender right after the exams are over on March 9.
“The need for immediate academic preparation and the continuity of studies constitutes a relevant consideration under the rehabilitative and reformative object of the JJ Act,” the board said while granting the bail while also putting several restrictions in place and making it clear that the bail is interim in nature.
The teenager will remain in his father’s custody during the bail, according to the order, upon furnishing a personal bond of ₹10,000 with one surety of the like amount. The bond is valid till March 9.
In the bail plea, the accused was presented as a student with “remarkable academic record” and it also contended that the incident was “purely accidental” with no intention to cause any injury or death. It also argued that the boy remained at the spot after the accident, informed the police himself, and cooperated in the probe.
(With inputs from Arnabjit Sur, Hemani Bhandari)
