Stressing that parental accountability cannot be brushed aside when a minor is permitted to drive, the Karnataka High Court has refused to quash culpable homicide proceedings against a Mysuru resident whose 14-year-old son caused a fatal road crash in December 2020, resulting in the deaths of three family members, TOI reported.
Refusing to stall the proceedings, Justice M Nagaprasanna delivered a stern warning on the dangers of allowing underage individuals behind the wheel. "The steering wheel of a motor vehicle cannot become a plaything in the hands of a child, nor can a public road become the playground for such indulgence," Justice Nagaprasanna observed in his order dated October 16.
Tragic crash and legal challenge
The incident occurred on the Old Bengaluru-Mysuru Road when the petitioner’s minor son, driving a Volkswagen Vento provided to his father by his employer, struck and killed a couple and their five-year-old child.
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The petitioner, Nadeem-Ur-Rehman, approached the High Court after a trial court rejected his discharge application. Rehman sought the quashing of charges framed against him under Section 304 Part-II of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, along with other alleged traffic violations.
Arguing before the court, the petitioner claimed that his son had taken the vehicle without his permission or knowledge. His counsel submitted that the incident could at most be classified as an act of rashness or negligence, rather than being elevated to the severity of culpable homicide.
Court rejects defense, highlights parental duty
The prosecution strongly opposed the petition, presenting material to suggest that Rehman had willingly handed the vehicle keys to his son and permitted him to drive, an act he had allegedly allowed on previous occasions as well.
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Dismissing the father's plea to drop the charges, the High Court emphasized that a parent who knowingly hands car keys to a child cannot “retreat behind the minority of that child when the adventure ends in catastrophe”. The bench ruled that whether the father's actions constituted simple negligence or criminal knowledge is a matter to be determined during trial.
Highlighting the growing danger of underage driving, Justice Nagaprasanna cited data showing that Karnataka recorded 751 accidents involving minors in 2025-26, ranking sixth among all Indian states in such offenses.
(With inputs from TOI)