SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has declined to interfere with a culpable homicide charge against a man accused of allowing his 14-year-old son to drive a car that allegedly killed three members of a family. The court stressed that public roads cannot be turned into playgrounds for children and that vehicle steering wheels are not toys to be placed in their hands.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna made the observations while considering a petition filed by Nadeem Ur Rahman, the boy’s father. He had challenged the chargesheet filed by the N.R. police and sought to have the charge under Section 304(2) of the Indian Penal Code dropped.
Calling the accident heartbreaking, the court said the legal prohibition on minors driving vehicles served an important purpose. It observed that people who allow those who are untrained and legally unqualified to drive cannot claim protection from the consequences of a tragedy arising from such conduct.
The court indicated that the allegations against the father could not be dismissed because he was accused of handing over the car keys to his underage son.
The accident occurred on the night of December 10, 2020, near Dandinamaramma Temple on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Road. Ramesh, 40, was travelling on a motorcycle with his wife Usha, 30, and their five-year-old son Monish when their vehicle was allegedly hit by a car driven by the petitioner’s 14-year-old son. The collision resulted in the deaths of all three family members.
After investigating the incident, the police filed a chargesheet against the father under Section 304(2) of the IPC, concerning culpable homicide not amounting to murder. His request to remove the charge was rejected by the Sessions Court, following which he moved the High Court.
The government prosecutor opposed the petition, stating that the investigation had found that the father gave his son the car keys after the boy expressed a desire to drive. The prosecution argued that the minor subsequently drove the vehicle and caused the fatal accident.
It also submitted that the father arrived at the scene after learning about the crash and took his son away. On these grounds, the prosecution argued that the allegations required judicial examination and that the criminal proceedings against the father should continue.
The High Court’s decision reinforces the seriousness with which courts may view allegations that adults have enabled minors to drive, particularly when the alleged conduct results in loss of life.
SOURCE : SIASAT
