New Delhi: A 33-year-old man who was hit by a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) driven by a minor in Mumbai on February 5, died on Sunday. His wife, Minal Patel continues to battle for her life in hospital and the Juvenile Justice Board has granted bail to the accused, a minor. The deceased was identified as Dhurmil Patel, who was hit by the accused’s car near Somaiya College in the Vidyavihar area.

Bail granted to accused

A report in NDTV said that the Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to the 17-year-old accused, citing that he needed to appear for his Class 12 Board exams.

The couple were riding on their scooter, when they were hit by the speeding Kia Seltos car, which was being driven by the minor driver. The accident happened near Somaiya College. Both the victims were flung off their vehicle, due to the impact and were seriously injured in the accident.

While the man succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, after battling for life for more than 10 days, his wife remains in critical condition in the hospital.

The Tilak Nagar Police had registered an FIR in the matter. The accused has been booked under Sections 184 and 199 of the Motor Vehicles Act and Sections 125, 125(a), 125(b) and 281 of the Indian Penal Code.

The car being driven by the accused was owned by his father, Valji Raja Bhushan. He has also been booked in the case.

The Mumbai Police said that Minal Patel and Dhurmil Patel, were returning home when they were hit by the speeding vehicle.

Recent cases of hit-and-run involving minors

This is however not the first case of hit-and-run involving a minor. Earlier also such cases have been reported where minors behind the wheels, sometimes drunk, have caused accidents.

In 2024, in a hit-and-run case, a minor driver, driving a Porsche allegedly hit and killed 2 IT professionals in Pune. The case became known as the Pune Porsche hit-and-run case. The driver, who was a minor, was reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol.

The case caused considerable outrage, when the main accused in the case, a minor, was asked to write a 300-word essay on road safety and let go by the Juvenile Justice Board. Later however, he was arrested and sent to a correctional facility. He later got bail in court.

Earlier this month, the other accused in the case, which included the guardians of the co-accused in the case and a middleman who allegedly helped alter the blood samples of the accused, got bail from the Supreme Court, after spending nearly 18 months behind bars.