Porsche crash case: Maharashtra Medical Commission initiates suo motu probe against doctors at Pune’s Sassoon Hospital

“We have not received an official complaint, but considering the gravity of the incident and violation of the code of medical ethics, we have decided to initiate a suo motu inquiry against Taware and Halnor. Based on the findings of the inquiry, appropriate action will be taken against them,” said Dr Vinky Rughwani, administrator, MMC.

IT engineers from Madhya Pradesh, Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both aged 24, were killed after a speeding Porsche driven by a 17-year-old boy, who was allegedly inebriated, hit their motorcycle around 2.30 am on May 19, 2024. A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against the minor at Yerawada police station the same day.

The police investigation revealed that when the minor driver, who is the son of a prominent realtor, was taken to the government-run Sassoon Hospital after the accident for medical examination, his blood sample was allegedly replaced with that of his mother’s. The police have alleged that Taware and Halnor played a role in swapping the blood samples.

The MMC has received a copy of the inquiry committee’s report in the case from the Commissioner of Police, Pune. “We are now waiting for a copy of the Dr Pallavi Saple committee report from the Medical Education department,” Dr Rughwani added.

During the course of the investigation, the police initially arrested seven people, including the minor’s parents, Dr Taware, Dr Halnor, morgue staff Atul Ghatkamble as well as Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad.

According to the police, Makandar and Gaikwad allegedly acted as middlemen between the minor’s parents and the doctors. Makandar allegedly took Rs 4 lakh from the boy’s father and gave it to the Sassoon staffers for changing the blood samples. The police claimed to have recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from Dr Halnor and Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble. The remaining Rs 1 lakh is yet to be recovered.

The police said that a DNA report on August 9, 2024, confirmed that the blood samples of the two friends of the minor driver were also swapped at Sassoon Hospital. Both the friends, who are also minors, were in the Porsche at the time of the accident. The police further arrested three more people in the case, including the fathers of the other two friends.

A chargesheet has been filed against all ten accused. The police also submitted a “final report” against the minor driver before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on June 17, 2024, and a “supplementary final report” on September 26, 2024.