Pune Porsche Crash: Aneesh Awadhiya's Parents Seek Changes To Juvenile Laws For Heinous Crimes - EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

More than two years after the death of IT professionals Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta in the Pune Porsche crash, Aneesh’s parents on Thursday thanked Pune citizens, the media and Pune Police for standing by them and demanded changes to laws dealing with serious crimes committed by juveniles.

Speaking about the support they received, Aneesh’s parents, Om Awadhiya and Savita Awadhiya, said the loss of their son had left the family with pain that could not be expressed in words. However, they said the support of Punekars had given them strength during the difficult period.

The parents also expressed gratitude to journalists and media organisations for taking their concerns and demand for justice to the public.

“We sincerely thank all the media that helped take our voice for justice for Anish to society. We will always remain grateful for the role played by the media in presenting the facts of the case before the public,” Om said.

They also thanked Pune Police for their efforts in the investigation and legal proceedings, while stressing that they expected the process to remain fair, transparent and within the framework of the law.

The parents have now sought a review of the existing Juvenile Justice provisions, particularly in cases involving serious and heinous crimes. They have demanded that when a person aged 16 or above is accused of a grave offence, factors such as the seriousness of the crime, circumstances and the accused’s mental maturity should be considered while deciding the legal process.

“Our intention is not to cause injustice to any innocent minor. But the age-related provisions of the law should not become a shield for those committing serious crimes,” Om said.

The demand comes amid continued legal proceedings in the Porsche case, with several accused in the alleged evidence-tampering case having secured bail.

Savita said, “We don’t want this to happen to any other family or child. We want everyone to be safe and follow the laws. Police should enforce strict discipline, and I appeal to the government to consider our request and bring strict laws and punishment for drug use, drink-driving and minors driving in violation of the law.”

Akshay Jain, Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress Media Department president, said the parents’ demand for changes to the Juvenile Justice law should be taken seriously and that provisions meant to protect children should not be misused in cases involving grave offences. He said the families’ fight for justice must continue until there is accountability in the case and that they stood with them.

The family said the Centre and Maharashtra Government should seriously consider the proposed legal reforms so that the law acts as a deterrent in cases involving minors accused of serious offences.