Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has issued a notice to the Maharashtra government on petitions filed by two dismissed members of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), who have challenged their termination in connection with bail granted to a juvenile allegedly involved in the high-profile Porsche crash in Pune.
The state government had, in October 2024, removed JJB members L N Danavade and Kavita Thorat following a probe by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department. The inquiry found them guilty of procedural lapses and misconduct under the Juvenile Justice Act in handling the bail application of a 17-year-old accused of killing two IT professionals in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area on May 19, 2024, while allegedly driving under the influence.
Danavade had initially granted bail to the juvenile on lenient terms, including writing a 300-word essay on road safety. The decision sparked widespread outrage. The JJB later revised the order, sending the boy to an observation home. The High Court eventually ordered his release in June 2024.
Thorat and Danavade, represented by advocate Harshavardhan Pawar, have argued before the High Court that their termination was illegal. Thorat’s petition contends that although she was served a show-cause notice and replied, the final inquiry report was never shared with her, violating principles of natural justice.
On April 23, a division bench of Justices A S Chandurkar and M M Sathaye issued notice to the WCD department and scheduled the next hearing for June 18.
Meanwhile, ten others — including the juvenile’s parents Vishal and Shivani Agarwal, two doctors, a hospital staffer, and five others — remain in custody in the related case involving alleged tampering of the minor’s blood samples.
