Shilpa Mittal’s brother, Sidharth, was mowed down in April 2016 by a juvenile driving a Mercedes Benz

NEW DELHI: A sister’s fight for justice for her brother, who was killed in a road crash caused by a juvenile driver, is set to bear fruit with the government announcing that a series of new deterrent norms — such as steep penalties and the provision to hold guardians of juvenile drivers or vehicle owner responsible for accidents — will kick in from September 1.

“Only parents and guardians can stop juveniles driving vehicles. Police can stop one, two or a few such cases. If parents can keep the keys of their lockers away from children, why can’t they keep the keys of vehicles in their safe custody?” said Shilpa Mittal, who became a campaigner for a stronger law against juvenile drivers following the death of her brother Sidharth Sharma.

On Wednesday, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari ’s announcement of the date of the implementation of the amended motor vehicle law, which also provides for jail terms for such negligent guardians, would bring some closure to Shilpa.

Sidharth was mowed down on Sham Nath Marg in north Delhi by a businessman’s minor son driving a Mercedes Benz on April 4, 2016 when he was walking home after getting dinner packed from a restaurant. The juvenile was on a joyride with his six friends.

The incident captured on a CCTV camera had shaken people from all walks of life and galvanised officials already working on making the Motor Vehicles Act stronger. “This was one of the most tragic incidents we had ever seen. There were reservations but we stuck to the change we needed to bring to check this menace,” said a former road transport secretary.

“What was shocking was that his parents were presenting a concocted story to hide the truth that the boy was behind the wheel. They produced a driver to take the responsibility, though he retracted later. We also came to know later that he was earlier involved in three accidents. So we demanded his parents should be booked, and it was perhaps the first case where both his parents were named in the FIR as well,” Shilpa said.

The two cases against the minor and his parents and their driver are still going on.

Shilpa said that the government should now focus on enforcement. “If police don’t stop juveniles tripling on bikes, then they will feel it’s perfectly all right. By not stopping them or penalising their guardians, we are only promoting violation of the law and risking more lives,” she said.

Earlier in the day, announcing the commencement of new provisions, Gadkari said the new changes will create a sense of fear against breaking traffic laws. “I am confident the impact of new provisions including deterrent penalties will be seen in the next 5-6 months. We will try our level best to reduce fatalities by 50% in the next five years,” the minister said.

