Long history of controversies and punitive action against Dr Taware, arrested for changing blood sample of minor in Pune Porsche case

Dr Ajay Taware was removed as medical superintendent of Pune’s B J Government Medical College twice, first over an alleged kidney transplant malpractice and later over a rat-bite incident.

4 min readPuneUpdated: May 28, 2024 08:08 AM IST

It may be recalled that Dr Taware, who had been medical superintendent for approximately eight years, was instructed by the DMER to step down from his post in 2022 following alleged malpractice in the kidney transplant procedure. (Express Photo)

Dr Ajay Taware, professor and head of the forensic medicine department at BJ Government Medical College, has been at the centre of controversy not only over his role in the Porsche car crash case but also over previous incidents at Maharashtra’s largest government-run hospital.

Early on Monday morning Dr Taware was arrested along with Dr Srihari Harnol, casualty medical officer at Sassoon General Hospital, for allegedly changing the blood sample of the minor boy who allegedly mowed down two young engineers on May 19 while driving a Porsche car under the influence of alcohol.

There is a sense of shock among the top brass at BJ Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital and professors who are distressed that a series of incidents over the past year or so have compromised the hospital’s status.

In April, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) removed Dr Taware from the post of medical superintendent over a rat-bite incident. A 30-year-old man who was undergoing intensive care treatment, Sagar Renuse, suffered an infection due to rodent bites, according to DMER authorities, who then observed negligence by the administrative staff.

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Dr Taware was asked “to hand over charge” due to “administrative reasons”. He then went back to his earlier post of professor and head of forensic medicine. The charge presently is with Dr Yellappa Jadhav.

The authorities took a stern view of the alleged malpractice in the kidney transplant case, in which a woman from Kolhapur claimed that she had been promised Rs 15 lakh by an agent for donating her kidney to a patient at Ruby Hall Clinic.

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In the past two years, at least five medical superintendents have taken charge since Dr Taware was asked to step down. Dr Vijay Jadhav, who was given the charge, was replaced by Dr Bharati Daswani in July 2022. Later Dr Vijay Jadhav was again given the charge in March 2023 but was soon replaced by Dr Yellappa Jadhav. He was replaced by Dr Sunil Bhamre in August 2023. Barely was he given the charge for a month or so when Dr Kiran Kumar Jadhav was asked to take over as medical superintendent during the tenure of the then dean, Dr Sanjeev Thakur, who has been removed from the post over the sensational escape of drug cartel kingpin Lalit Patil.

After Dr Vinayak Kale took over as dean, a decision was taken to reinstate Dr Ajay Taware as the medical superintendent. It had become a challenge to manage the hospital administration, top officials said, adding that the image of the hospital had been damaged.

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When contacted, Rajiv Nivatkar, commissioner of medical education, told The Indian Express, “The incidents at Sassoon General Hospital are unfortunate, but we are waiting for the police report and then will submit the facts to the government. We are looking into the matter. Presently we cannot take any action against the doctors as we are waiting for the police report.”

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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