The teenager will remain in an observation home until June 25 and will undergo more counseling sessions

PUNE: The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Wednesday extended till June 25 the house observation detention of a 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in a car accident that killed two IT engineers in Pune after police said he was still undergoing counseling sessions and an investigation into the matter was underway.

The Porsche car driven by the teenager, son of builder Vishal Agrawal, rammed into a motorcycle in the wee hours of May 19, killing IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both from Madhya Pradesh, in Kalyani Nagar.

The teen was driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.

Pune police, through prosecutors, sought extension of the minor's detention for another 14 days in the observation house, citing his safety.

He was in an observation house until June 12.

They also told the commission that releasing the teenager at this stage could hamper the ongoing investigation into the case and other related matters, including the alleged exchange of his blood samples taken after the accident from May 19.

The defense opposed the Pune police's request for extension of remand and told the commission that the minor should be released from the observation centre.

According to a police official, prosecutors, in their request to extend the pretrial detention, told the JJB that the minor boy was still undergoing psychological counseling sessions and should remain at the facility.

He said the prosecution had argued that it wanted to treat the minor as an adult for the purposes of trial and that his remand was justified to complete formalities in this regard.

The official said the commission had asked the police to advise on the defense of giving custody of the minor to his relatives, as his parents were in custody on separate charges related to the accident.

Defense lawyer Prashant Patil, however, opposed the prosecution's request for extension of remand and said the minor should be released from the observation home and handed over to his relatives.

Patil said the JJB had not touched the grounds given by the police while seeking extension of the remand.

The defense lawyer said the commission, in its order, had stated that the child in conflict with law (CCL) was undergoing psychological counseling sessions at the observation home.

Three counseling sessions have been completed and there are just as many more to go.

Since the child is showing signs of improvement, staying in the observation home will help him reintegrate into society, Patil said, quoting the board.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the JJB extended the boy's stay in the observation house until June 25.

The boy's parents are in police custody in connection with a case linked to an alleged exchange of blood samples at the state-run Sassoon General Hospital.

Besides the minor's parents, police also arrested his grandfather Surendra Agarwal for allegedly kidnapping the family's driver and pressuring him to take responsibility for the accident, among other charges.

Others arrested in the case are two doctors and an employee of Sassoon General Hospital for allegedly swapping the blood samples of the minor boy with those of his mother.

The police have registered three separate cases in connection with the accident.

The cases include one FIR in connection with the accident and the second against the pub which allegedly served alcohol to the minor.

Police arrested the boy's father for allowing him to drive the car without a valid license.

A third case concerns unjustified confinement and the coercion exercised on the family driver so that he assumes responsibility for the fatal accident.