An Indian teenager allegedly killed two people while driving drunk. As punishment, he was told to write an essay

Anger grows in India after a teenager who allegedly killed two people while driving drunk was ordered to write an essay as punishment, with many demanding a harsher sentence and blaming power judicial leniency.

The 17-year-old boy was allegedly speeding in the city of Pune on Sunday when the vehicle hit a motorcycle, killing two people, according to Maharashtra state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The minor was taken into custody and then presented to the Juvenile Justice Board, where he was released on bail and sentenced to 15 days of community service. He was also asked to write an essay on road safety, Fadnavis said.

“Outrage grew after that. Police say the boy is 17 years and 8 months old. “This is a heinous crime,” he told reporters on Tuesday, pointing to 2015 changes to India's juvenile laws that allow children over 16 to be tried as juveniles. adults if they have committed a “heinous” crime.

“This is a surprising order issued (by the Juvenile Justice Board),” Fadnavis said.

CNN has attempted to contact the alleged driver's lawyer, Prashant Patil, for comment.

Fadnavis added that the Pune police were investigating the minor for alleged culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They also asked the juvenile court to reconsider his bail order, he said.

CCTV footage, believed to have been filmed moments before the crash, shows a white Porsche driving at speed on a busy main road. People can be seen rushing to the scene of the accident, which is not shown in the video widely shared on social media and broadcast on local news channels.

The minor's father was arrested for allegedly allowing his son to drive when he was a minor, according to Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. The legal age for driving in India is 18 years.

Three people who served underage liquor were also arrested, Kumar added.

“We have taken the strictest approach possible and we will do everything in our power to ensure that the two young lives lost get justice and that the accused is duly punished,” he said.

The incident made headlines in India and sparked widespread anger, with many taking to social media to condemn the boy's bail conditions.

Suresh Koshta, whose 24-year-old daughter was killed in the crash, urged authorities to take tougher action against the suspected driver.

“It was a mistake (to allow the minor to drive),” he told reporters outside his home, while holding back tears. “You first have to know how to drive. »

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India's main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, questioned whether a bus or taxi driver would receive the same punishment.

“If a 16-17 year old son from a rich family, driving a Porsche under the influence, is arrested, he is asked to write an essay,” Gandhi said in a video posted on Are they not assigned to truck drivers or bus drivers?

This is not the first time that a court verdict has been examined in this way.

In 2015, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who was facing a lengthy prison sentence for a fatal hit-and-run, was granted a reprieve when the Bombay High Court overturned his conviction for lack of evidence, sparking widespread outrage.

“Based on the evidence produced by the prosecution, the appellant cannot be convicted even if the common man thinks differently,” the court said.

The hit-and-run incident took place outside a Mumbai bakery in September 2002, with prosecutors saying Khan ran over five sleeping men after losing control of his vehicle. He was returning from a bar after a night of drinking, they said.

The actor said he was not the driver.

One of the victims was killed; the others injured.

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