Mercedes hit and run: Cops want juvenile to be tried as adult

A teenager, who had allegedly run over a 32-year-old marketing executive while driving his father’s Mercedes way over the speed limit, was on Thursday chargesheeted by the Delhi police in the Juvenile Justice Board for the offence of culpable homicide, not amounting to murder.

The police also filed an application for transferring the case to a trial court to try the boy, who turned 18 years old just four days after the accident, as an adult.

The offence of culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, entails a maximum of 10 years imprisonment. Initially, a case under IPC Section 304 A (causing death by rash or negligent act) was lodged against the accused, but later on he was booked for the alleged offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and he was sent to the reform home.

The presiding officer of the Juvenile Justice Board has kept the chargesheet and the application for consideration on June 2.

Special public prosecutor Atul Shrivastava said the boy belongs to the age group of 16-18 years and this offence comes under the definition of “heinous crimes” so his case will be transferred to the trial court.

The police said in its chargesheet that the boy had run over marketing executive Siddharth Sharma while driving his father’s Mercedes when Sharma was trying to cross a road near Ludlow Castle School in north Delhi on April 4.

The final report was filed for alleged offences under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 279 (driving on a public way so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life) and 337 (causing hurt by an act which endangers human life) against him. The police also annexed the statements of witnesses including that of the youth’s friends supporting its case.

The board had on April 26 granted bail to the youth who sought the relief to appear in entrance examinations.

The police said that the car was being driven at a speed of at least 80 km per hour and Sharma was flung several feet into the air by the impact of the crash and landed around 15 metres away from where he stood.

After the incident, the accused and his friends stepped out of the vehicle and fled from the spot, abandoning the car there.