Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 2: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to three persons accused of assisting in the alleged tampering of blood samples following the fatal Pune Porsche crash in May 2024 that claimed the lives of two young software engineers.
Granting bail to Aditya Sood, Ashish Mittal and Santosh Gaikwad, the apex court observed that the accused had already spent nearly 18 months in custody, according to a report.
Mittal is stated to be a friend of the father of the main accused, while Sood is the father of a minor who was seated in the back of the car at the time of the accident. Gaikwad allegedly acted as a middleman and is accused of receiving Rs 3 lakh for facilitating the blood sample manipulation.
The case relates to a tragic accident on May 19, 2024, when a speeding Porsche car without a registration number plate rammed into a two-wheeler in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area, killing Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa as they were returning home from a hotel.
Investigations revealed that a 17-year-old boy was allegedly driving the car under the influence of alcohol. Two of his minor friends and a driver were also present in the vehicle. Police said the juvenile had consumed alcohol at two different hotels prior to the crash.
The incident triggered nationwide outrage, particularly after the minor was granted bail within hours by a Juvenile Justice Board member, with conditions including writing a 300-word essay on road safety. Following criticism and a police review, the JJB later sent the minor to an observation home, from where he was eventually released on the directions of the Bombay High Court.
During the probe, it emerged that the juvenile’s blood sample was allegedly swapped to conceal alcohol consumption. Investigators claimed doctors at Pune’s Sassoon Hospital discarded the juvenile’s blood sample and replaced it with that of his mother.
The alleged conspiracy reportedly involved the juvenile’s father, Pune-based businessman Vishal Agarwal, his wife, and other associates. Prosecutors alleged that Rs 3 lakh was paid to hospital staff through intermediaries, with senior medical officers orchestrating the manipulation to ensure test reports showed no presence of alcohol.
The scope of the case widened with the arrest of Mittal and Sood. Mittal is accused of providing his blood sample to replace that of another juvenile present in the car, while Sood allegedly did the same for his teenage son, who was neither driving nor named in the original FIR.
In December last year, the Bombay High Court had denied bail to the accused, citing concerns that influential accused could tamper with witnesses and obstruct the course of justice. However, the Supreme Court granted bail on Monday, primarily considering the prolonged period of incarceration already undergone by the three accused.