Amid the public outcry over the Pune incident, where an inebriated minor driving a Porsche car killed two youngsters, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has weighed in on the case, questioning why the realtor’s son received lenient treatment when others, such as truck drivers or Uber drivers, face years in prison for similar crimes.
Scrutinizing the Juvenile Justice Board’s bail order, which included conditions such as asking the minor to volunteer with traffic police and write an essay about the incident, Gandhi pointed out that drivers from lower economic strata never receive such lenient treatment.
“If someone is killed by a bus driver, truck driver, Ola, Uber, or auto-driver by mistake, they get a prison term of 10 years, and their keys are thrown away. But if a rich kid drives a Porsche under the influence of alcohol and kills two persons, he is asked to write an essay. Why aren’t truck drivers, bus drivers, or Uber, auto drivers asked to write essays? The question is about justice. It should be the same for everyone, for the rich and the poor,” Gandhi said in a video statement.
He also criticized the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of creating two Indias – one for the billionaires and one for the poor. “When he is asked about creating two Indias – one of the billionaires and one of the poor, he asks, ‘Should I make everyone poor?’ That’s not the question. The question is of justice. It should be the same for everyone,” Gandhi asserted.
The Juvenile Justice Board’s bail order has faced widespread criticism from the public. On Monday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed shock over the “extremely lenient” order by the Board, stating that the police are appealing against it.
