‘Spent 18 Months In Jail’: Supreme Court Grants Bail To 3 In Pune Porsche Crash That Killed 2 Techies

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to three accused in the Pune Porsche car crash case of May 2024, where two people were killed due to rash and negligent driving by a juvenile in May 2024.

The accused are alleged to have helped the juvenile's family tamper with evidence by swapping blood samples.

A Bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan granted bail to Aditya Sood, Ashish Mittal and Santosh Gaikwad, who are accused of helping tamper with and swap blood samples in the aftermath of the crash.

The top court noted that the three accused had already spent around 18 months in jail, a factor that weighed in favour of granting bail. The Bench also took into account the stage of the trial while passing the order.

One of the accused granted bail is the father of a juvenile passenger who was seated in the back seat of the Porsche. Another accused is a friend of the father of the other back-seat passenger. The third accused is an assistant of the doctor who examined the medical evidence and is alleged to have accepted Rs 3 lakh from the parents to swap the blood sample in order to shield the juvenile driver from prosecution.

"Let them be produced before the trial court. They may be granted bail. Shall not misuse liberty. Any violation of the condition would result in cancellation of bail," the court said.

The Bench, however, expressed that it is saddening how irresponsible such parents are who provide their juvenile children with high-speed cars and let them indulge in celebrating with substances such as alcohol and drugs.

"Celebration is not on the basis of substance (abuse) and driving at speed. Two innocent people are killed. There are innocent people sleeping on the road. This is not the first time this has happened. The main ones responsible are the parents who are giving them sufficient funds for a gala time. Parents have no time to spend with their children. That’s why the best thing is to give them an ATM card and a mobile phone. The law has to catch up. See, two innocent lives are lost and all these mechanisations. But it's liberty vs all this." Justice Nagarathna said.

The Pune Porsche crash, which took place on May 19, 2024, in Kalyani Nagar, had triggered nationwide outrage after a luxury car, allegedly driven by a minor, rammed into a two-wheeler, killing two software professionals, Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta. The driver, who was allegedly drunk and driving an unregistered luxury car, was initially granted bail, but later, it sparked public outrage, leading to his arrest, along with his father and others, for alleged manipulation of evidence and police corruption. Subsequent investigations revealed alleged attempts to manipulate medical evidence to shield the accused, leading to the arrest of several people, including hospital staff and intermediaries. (With ANI Inputs)