Pune Porsche crash: May 19 still haunts families of victims as justice eludes one year on

Pune Porsche crash

A year has passed since a luxury Porsche Taycan, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old under the influence of alcohol, mowed down two young tech professionals in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar, but the wheels of justice continue to turn painfully slow for the grieving families.

On May 19, 2024, software engineers Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24, died on the spot after their bike was hit by the speeding car around 2.30 am. Despite public outrage and police calls to try the teenager as an adult, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Pune is yet to decide whether the minor will be tried under juvenile law or face trial as an adult accused of committing a heinous crime, according to a TOI report.

According to Pune Police, the boy, who was just four months short of turning 18, had been out drinking at two pubs in Mundhwa with friends before taking the wheel of the unregistered Porsche. After the crash, Yerawada Police were criticised for their lax response — including delays in blood testing. A subsequent investigation uncovered a chilling effort to tamper with evidence: the minor’s blood samples were allegedly swapped with his mother’s to hide alcohol traces.

The sample manipulation led to the arrest of the minor's parents and two senior doctors from Sassoon General Hospital, among others. The boy’s mother is currently out on interim bail, but his father and several co-accused remain behind bars. Chargesheets have been filed against all of them in connection with the crash and the cover-up attempt.

The JJB had initially granted bail to the minor within hours of the crash, under terms that included writing a 300-word essay on road safety — a decision that triggered nationwide outrage and led to the dismissal of two JJB members. Since then, the hearing on whether to treat the teen as an adult has been repeatedly delayed due to adjournments, lack of quorum and alleged delaying tactics by the defence.

Police have submitted all necessary assessments — psychiatric, probationary, de-addiction and RTO reports — to the board. A fresh hearing is now scheduled for Monday, but Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ganesh Ingale was quoted by TOI as saying that the defence has once again sought an adjournment. “We will make our written submission opposing the adjournment and pray for an expeditious hearing,” he said.

The case has seen a total of five chargesheets filed — two against the minor and three against his family members and others allegedly involved in the evidence tampering.

“We are ready to get our case argued through the special prosecutor. If our plea is allowed, the minor’s chargesheets will be moved to the sessions court and clubbed with the others,” Ingale added.

Senior advocate S K Jain pointed out to TOI that under Section 14 of the Juvenile Justice Act, the JJB is required to complete the assessment within four months, extendable by two more. Any further delay would need permission from the Chief Judicial Magistrate, failing which the police’s plea could become infructuous.

Supreme Court lawyer Sana Raees Khan told TOI that the year-long delay “reflects a systemic lapse” that is not just affecting the victims’ families, but also compromising the rights of the minor for a fair and timely trial.
Families of the victims, meanwhile, continue to reel under the weight of their loss.

"This entire year has been painful for me, my wife and our whole family. Not a single day goes by without us remembering him and cherishing his beautiful memories. After Anish's tragic death, our world has come crashing down,” said Om Awadhiya, Anish’s father, speaking to PTI. “Justice in this case would send a strong message against drunk driving and those who think money and power put them above the law.”

Both families have repeatedly described the deaths of their children as “murder” and appealed to authorities to fast-track the case.

Public anger had earlier prompted action against two hotels for serving liquor to underage patrons. Police also arrested the fathers of the two other minors who were reportedly in the car and had their blood samples swapped as well.

Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray confirmed that framing of charges in the tampering case has been held up due to a discharge application moved by one of the accused doctors.

"In this case, the accused have played and cheated the judicial system by tampering with the key evidence, such as blood reports. Due to the prosecution's strong opposition, barring the mother of the juvenile, none of the accused have been able to secure bail," Hiray was quoted by PTI as saying. “This was not a simple accident,” he added.