Pune Porsche crash: Supreme Court grants bail to accused’s father

The May 2024 crash resulted in the death of two IT professionals.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to the father of the minor accused of driving the Porsche car involved in the May 19, 2024 crash in Pune that killed two people.

A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that Vishal Agarwal has been in custody for 22 months. According to Live Law, the court granted him bail on the condition that he would cooperate with the trial and not influence the witnesses or tamper with evidence.

The Live Law report stated that Justice Nagarathna remarked that Agarwal's alleged actions reflect the mindset of Indians wanting to get the better of the law, but questioned whether his liberty could be curtailed before conviction. "All this is reflection of the mindset of the Indian society. That everybody wants to get out and to get the better of the law. Now the question is, if this is a mindset of the Indian society whether a man has to lose his liberty until he is convicted," he said.

Agarwal was arrested on June 1, 2024, after his 17-year-old son allegedly rammed his car under the alleged influence of alcohol while returning from a late-night party, killing two bike riders.

The court also prohibited Agarwal from contacting any of the witnesses in the case. It further directed the trial court to conclude the trial at the earliest. "The petitioner shall not make any attempt to contact the witnesses either directly or indirectly. Any violation of the conditions shall entitle the state to seek cancellation of the bail. We also direct the concerned trial court to conclude the trial at the earliest," the court stated.

The Bombay High Court had earlier denied bail to Agarwal and the other accused, observing that the prosecution’s concerns about possible witness intimidation and evidence tampering were well-founded. The court noted that key prosecution witnesses appeared vulnerable to pressure or other forms of influence, which could lead them to turn hostile or withdraw support for the case.