Porsche crash: Mother of accused, booked for blood sample tampering, seeks bloods, viscera analysis reports of victims

Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray has termed the application as yet another attempt to delay the framing of charges. On May 19, 2024, the lives of IT engineers Awadhiya and Koshta, both 24 and from Madhya Pradesh, ended abruptly when a speeding Porsche Taycan, allegedly driven by the inebriated 17-and-a-half-year-old from an influential Pune realtor family, rammed into their motorcycle at Kalyani Nagar junction.

The mother’s application states, “After perusing the chargesheet, it was found that the investigating officer has not followed the mandate as mentioned in Section 207 of CrPC and has not supplied to the accused the conclusive forensic reports of the victims which were sent for analysis as per the chargesheet. In this case the two victims were subjected to postmortem and during the same their blood samples were collected and their viscera was also preserved.”

The application further read, “The matter is currently posted for order as to framing of charge. Unless and until there is compliance of mandate under Section 207 of CrPC, the entire trial of the accused will vitiate. Therefore, the accused by filing this application prays that this honourable court may direct the investigation agency to supply the conclusive forensic analysis of the blood reports and viscera of the victims to the accused before passing orders for framing of charge.”

When asked about the application filed by the accused, Hiray said, “This application shows insensitivity towards the victims and their families and is yet another attempt to delay the process of framing of charges.”

As the investigation had unfolded in the case, the police had arrested the minor’s mother, realtor father, Dr Ajay Taware, then head of the forensic medicine of Sassoon hospital, Dr Shrihari Halnor, then casualty medical officer; Atul Ghatkamble, a staffer at the hospital’s morgue; and Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, who acted as middlemen between the minor’s father and the doctors. These accused have been charged with tampering evidence, forgery, criminal conspiracy and corruption for swapping of blood samples.

Pune police have also arrested and charged a 37-year-old man who had given his blood to be swapped with that of a minor co-passenger and along with the father of that co-passenger. The 52-year-old father of another minor co-passenger was also arrested earlier for giving his own blood sample to be swapped with his son.

Among these 10 accused, except Ghatkamble, all have been granted bail by the Supreme Court at various times. The then minor driver has been arraigned before the Juvenile Justice Board where he faces charges of culpable homicide among others. The Pune Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) had on July 15 last year rejected the city’s police plea to try the then minor accused driver as an adult. The prosecution has moved the Pune Sessions Court against this JJB ruling.