The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Maharashtra government on the bail petitions of two accused arrested in the high-profile Pune Porsche car crash case, in which two young IT professionals were killed in May 2024.
A bench comprising Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan sought the state’s response on the pleas filed by Aditya Avinash Sood (52) and Ashish Satish Mittal (37), who are among ten adults arrested for their alleged involvement in tampering with blood samples of the minor accused.
On May 19, 2024, a luxury Porsche car allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy under the influence of alcohol fatally rammed into two IT professionals—Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Dhole—in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar.
Initial proceedings drew widespread public outrage after the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) granted bail to the minor within 15 hours of the accident on extremely lenient conditions, which included writing a 300-word essay on road safety and attending counselling.
Following the backlash, the Pune police moved the JJB for a review, and the bail order was later modified, sending the juvenile to an observation home. However, in June 2024, the Bombay High Court ordered his release from the observation facility.
During the investigation, Pune Police uncovered an alleged conspiracy to swap the minor’s blood samples with those of others in an attempt to destroy evidence of alcohol consumption.
Sood and Mittal, who were arrested on August 19, 2024, are accused of providing their blood samples in place of the minor and another juvenile who was also present in the car at the time of the accident.
In total, 10 people were arrested in the blood sample manipulation case, including:
- The minor’s parents, Vishal Agarwal and Shivani Agarwal
- Two doctors: Ajay Tawre and Shreehari Halnor
- Sassoon Hospital staffer Atul Ghatkamble
- Middlemen, and
- Three other alleged participants including Sood, Mittal, and Arun Kumar Singh
The Bombay High Court, on December 16, 2024, rejected the bail applications of eight accused, including Sood and Mittal. The High Court had observed that the allegations against them were serious and involved manipulation of crucial forensic evidence in a case that resulted in the loss of two lives.
The present appeal before the Supreme Court challenges this denial of bail.
The top court has now sought the Maharashtra government’s reply to the bail pleas. The matter will be listed for further hearing after the state files its response.
