Karnataka High Court upholds culpable homicide charges against father of minor driver

The Karnataka High Court has refused to quash culpable homicide charges against a father whose 14-year-old son was driving a car during a fatal accident in December 2020. The crash on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Road resulted in the deaths of a couple and their five-year-old son, while leaving another child injured.

Justice M Nagaprasanna rejected the petition filed by Nadeem-Ur-Rehman, who sought to drop charges under Section 304 Part-II of the Indian Penal Code (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). The petitioner argued that the minor took the vehicle without his knowledge or consent and that the incident should be treated as negligence rather than culpable homicide.

However, the court emphasized parental responsibility, stating that parents cannot treat statutory prohibitions against underage driving as a matter of convenience. The judge observed that “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.” The prosecution maintained there was evidence suggesting the father had allowed the son to drive on previous occasions.