KURNOOL: A father was sent on a 14-day jail term for the first time in Kurnool district for allowing his teenage son to drive a motor cycle registered in his name. Judicial Magistrate First Class (JFMC), Special Mobile Court, Mr M. Babu remanded Pothuraju Lakshmanna, 48, for a 14 day jail term. Pothuraju, a native of Penchikalapadu village in Gudur Mandal of Kurnool district, allowed his 19-year-old son Ella Ramudu to drive his two wheeler. The teenager was accused of hitting one Pakkira Dastagiri of Penchikalapadu village who was seriously injured and died.
Accusing Ella Ramudu for negligent driving, police produced both the son and his father before the Special Mobile Court by the Kurnool Rural Circle Inspector Nagaraju who termed the case as "murder without murdering". Kurnool Superindent of Police Gopinath Jatti said that the vicarious liability for the wrongs done by the teenage children would fall on their parents and cautioned parents not to allow their children to drive without any valid papers like licence.
He said that in accidents wherein minors are involved, parents will be held responsible and their role will be examined during the court hearing, adding that police would argue for a stringent approach towards minors driving vehicles and to get the parents punished first. "Underage driving is a cause of concern these days, especially when police is not ready to tolerate even simple acts of negligence in following traffic rules," the SP added.
