'Parents to blame, giving kids car keys unacceptable': SC grants bail in Pune Porsche crash case

The case relates to a May 19, 2024, incident in which a Porsche car, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy under the influence of alcohol, fatally knocked down two young software engineers in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area.

• Supreme Court grants bail to three accused in Pune Porsche crash case
• Court criticises parental failure in allowing minors to drink and drive
• Accused spent 18 months in jail; bail subject to strict conditions

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The Supreme Court, on Monday, granted bail to three accused in the 2024 Pune Porsche crash case that claimed two lives, while delivering a series of sharp observations on parental responsibility, juvenile conduct and alleged attempts to undermine the criminal justice system.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said parents must be held responsible for allowing minors to consume alcohol and drive expensive vehicles. "Parents are not able to control their children," the bench remarked.

"Substance abuse is another thing, but giving them (children) car keys and funds to have a gala time is unacceptable," the court said, adding that such conduct reflects a deeper failure of parental supervision.

Granting bail to Aditya Avinash Sood (52), Ashish Satish Mittal (37), and Amar Santosh Gaikwad, the bench noted that all three had been imprisoned for nearly 18 months. "Since allegations were made, they are in jail since 18 months. Their continued incarceration will greatly prejudice them," the court observed.

In its order, the bench said, "Since there is no allegation against the juvenile seated in the back of the car, it is unlikely that there can be allegations against them. Even as against the driver who caused the accident, the punishment is only up to three years. The juvenile is also being proceeded against before the Juvenile Justice Board."

Allowing the appeals, the court directed that the accused be produced before the concerned trial court and released on bail subject to conditions imposed by it, warning that "any infraction of the bail conditions will result in cancellation of bail".

Gaikwad, represented by advocate Sana Raees Khan, is alleged to be a middleman who "received a sum of Rs 3 lakh for the purpose of replacing the blood sample of the juveniles". Sood is the father of one of the minors seated in the back of the car, while Mittal is a friend of the father of the main accused.

The case relates to a May 19, 2024, incident in which a Porsche car, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy under the influence of alcohol, fatally knocked down two young software engineers in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area.

Opposing bail, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan told the court that the case represented "a classic case of undermining the entire criminal justice system". "This is not just about the initial act, but about what happened thereafter. Phone calls were made among all of them, and immediately the local MLA lands there," he submitted.

Sankaranarayanan alleged a pattern of cover-up, saying, "Get some poor driver to take the rap, say we were not driving, replace blood samples, say no alcohol, take three years and go." He contended that all the accused had "conspired" and warned that if released on bail, they could "tamper with evidence and frustrate the trial".

Justice Nagarathna responded by stressing the court’s concern over parental conduct. "Allowing children, firstly, consumption of alcohol as minors, and secondly, giving them a car and celebrating like this… the father and mother are to be blamed for not having control over their children," she said.

However, the bench clarified that it would refrain from making further remarks that could affect the ongoing proceedings. "We have much to say on this. Two innocent lives were lost and then all these machinations. But the only thing in your favour is the long incarceration. It is liberty versus all that, ultimately," Justice Nagarathna observed.

The court also flagged a broader social issue, noting, "This is not the first accident we have noticed. Parents have no time to talk to their children or have a dialogue with them. So what is the substitute? Money, an ATM card, and a mobile phone".

The Bombay High Court had on December 16 last year rejected the bail pleas of the three accused, observing that granting bail to financially well-placed persons could "risk witness tampering and obstruction of justice".

The case had sparked nationwide outrage after the Juvenile Justice Board initially granted bail to the minor accused on lenient terms, including writing a 300-word essay on road safety. Following public backlash, Pune police sought a review, after which the juvenile was sent to an observation home, though the high court later ordered his release in June.

While the juvenile accused is out of the observation home, 10 other accused, including his parents Vishal Agarwal and Shivani Agarwal, doctors Ajay Tawre and Shreehari Halnor, Sassoon Hospital staffer Atul Ghatkamble, Sood, Mittal, Arun Kumar Singh and two alleged middlemen, were arrested and sent to jail in connection with the alleged blood sample swapping.