BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has observed that car steering wheels cannot be treated as toys in the hands of children and public roads cannot become playgrounds for their pleasure. The court refused to quash a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against a father accused of giving his car keys to his 14-year-old son, whose alleged driving led to the deaths of three people.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna made the observations while hearing a criminal petition filed by Nadeem Ur Rahman, who sought to have the charge under Section 304(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) removed from the chargesheet filed by the N.R. police.
The court described the incident as tragic and observed that laws prohibiting minors from driving motor vehicles were not enacted merely as a formality. Adults who allegedly allow untrained and legally ineligible persons to drive cannot avoid the legal consequences simply because the resulting deaths were unintended, the court indicated.
High Court refuses to remove culpable homicide charge
The petitioner approached the High Court after the Sessions Court rejected his plea to have the culpable homicide charge removed. He sought relief from the charge filed against him in connection with the fatal accident.
The prosecution opposed the petition, submitting that the investigation had established that the father personally handed over the car keys after his son asked to drive the vehicle.
According to the prosecution, the minor subsequently drove the car and caused the collision that killed three members of a family travelling on a motorcycle. It also alleged that the father reached the accident spot after learning about the incident and took his son away.
The prosecution argued that the allegations warranted a full trial and that the charge could not be dropped at this stage.
The High Court declined to quash the charge, holding that the allegations against the petitioner could not be discarded at this stage of the proceedings.
Three members of family killed in 2020 accident
The case relates to a fatal accident reported on December 10, 2020, on Bengaluru-Mysuru Road near Dandinamaramma Temple.
Ramesh, 40, his wife Usha, 30, and their five-year-old son Monish were travelling on a motorcycle when a car allegedly driven at high speed by the petitioner’s 14-year-old son hit them.
All three died in the accident.
Following an investigation, the police filed a chargesheet against the boy’s father under Section 304(2) of the IPC, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The father challenged the charge before the Sessions Court, but his plea was rejected, leading him to approach the High Court.
Court underscores responsibility of adults
The High Court’s observations emphasise the responsibility of adults to ensure that minors do not operate motor vehicles on public roads. The court’s refusal to quash the charge means the allegations against the father will remain for further legal proceedings.
The case also highlights the potential criminal consequences for adults who allegedly allow minors to drive and the importance of complying with laws governing eligibility to operate motor vehicles.
The refusal to quash the charge is not a finding of guilt. The allegations against the petitioner remain subject to adjudication through the judicial process.