Pune Porsche Cover-up: Juvenile Board Members To Be Questioned Over Bail to Rich Brat

Pune: In response to the controversial decision to grant quick bail to the Pune rich brat involved in the Porsche crash case that killed two techies, a five-member committee has been established to investigate the members of the Juvenile Justice Board responsible for this action. The Maharashtra government-appointed members of the Juvenile Justice Board are facing scrutiny for their bail terms to the 17-year-old teen who fatally crashed his Porsche while drunk driving on May 19.

Dr. LN Danawade, a member of the Juvenile Justice Board, is particularly under the spotlight for his controversial decision to grant immediate bail to the intoxicated teen. The bail terms, which included penning a 300-word essay on road safety and posting two bonds totaling just Rs 15,000, have sparked nationwide outrage and raised serious questions about the fairness of the justice system.

The Maharashtra Medical Education (MME) Department on Monday formed the committee headed by Dr Pallavi Sapale, dean of Mumbai-based Grants Medical College.

The committee has been constituted to oversee the investigation into the controversial bail decision. Commissioner Prashant Narnaware of Women and Child Development has initiated this inquiry. The inquiry committee is tasked with verifying the circumstances surrounding the bail decision and will subsequently submit its findings to Commissioner Narnaware for further review.

A report will be submitted next week, Prashant Narnawre, the Commissioner of the Women and Child Development department, said.

“The report is being prepared and it will be submitted to the state government. The details of it cannot be divulged at this moment,” said Dr Sapale in a statement. Police had claimed on Monday that the teenager’s blood samples were discarded and replaced with another person’s samples, which showed no traces of alcohol, at Pune’s Sassoon General Hospital.

Commissioner of MME Department Rajiv Nivatkar said, “The report (of the committee) will be submitted to the state government today (Wednesday) itself.” Police have arrested Dr Ajay Taware, head of the state-run hospital's forensic medicine department, chief medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and staff member Atul Ghatkamble in connection with the incident.

The Quick Bail

The JJB had granted bail to the teenager hours after the Porsche car allegedly driven by him knocked down and killed two IT professionals in their 20s on a motorbike. It also asked him to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, an order that drew an onslaught of criticism. After facing flak over quick bail, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) remanded a 17-year-old boy to an observation home till June 5. 

How The Pune Porsche Happened?

The accident took place in the early hours of May 19 and two people were killed when the speeding luxury car driven by a juvenile hit their motorcycle in Pune city. The accident took place around 3.15 am in Kalyani Nagar when a group of friends after a party at a restaurant in the area was returning home on their motorbikes.

Near the Kalyani Nagar junction, the Porsche hit one of the motorcycles following which its two riders fell from the vehicle and died on the spot, as per the FIR.

After knocking down the duo, the car crashed into the roadside pavement railings, it said. A video surfaced on social media wherein a group of people was seen thrashing the driver as he tried to come out of the crashed car.

The deceased have been identified as Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa, as per the FIR.