Prosecution claims Porsche crash accused using delaying tactics in court

All 10 accused, of whom nine are currently in jail, were equally involved in the conspiracy, prosecution told the court

Accused persons in the 2024 Porsche car crash case involving a teenager driver are using delaying tactics to prolong legal proceedings by moving "frivolous" applications before a trial court in Pune, the prosecution argued on Wednesday.

Currently, the court is hearing arguments for framing of charges against 10 accused involved in the swapping of blood samples of the 17-year-old juvenile, who fatally knocked down two IT professionals while driving a Porsche car allegedly under the influence of alcohol in May last year.  The prosecution on Friday concluded its arguments seeking that charges be framed against all accused citing it has conclusive DNA evidence to prove the minor boy's blood samples were swapped with those of his mother at the state-run Sassoon General Hospital.

All 10 accused, of whom nine are currently in jail, were equally involved in the conspiracy, it told the court. Defence lawyers representing the 10 accused, including the boy's father, were supposed to begin their arguments in the case on Wednesday.  "A couple of accused have moved applications seeking a copy of the chargesheet. In my argument over their plea, I told the court the prosecution has already provided them a chargesheet copy. However, the defence told the court the prosecution has given them only a part (of the document) which is regarding the charges against them. But we told the court that a full chargesheet has been provided to all accused," said Special Public Prosecutor in the case Shishir Hiray.  Such applications are "frivolous" in nature and the accused are deliberately using delaying tactics, he contended. Meanwhile, Sudhir Shah, a defence counsel representing Dr Ajay Taware, one of the 10 accused, while opening his argument on framing of charges, noted IPC sections 467 and 464 (dealing with forgery and making false documents) have been invoked against his client. These two sections were not applicable to Taware as he did not indulge in any forgery, Shah maintained.

"Our client was not present at the Sassoon General Hospital when the blood samples were allegedly swapped and the report was tampered with. The section (related to forgery) is applicable to only those who have done forgery and not against the one who has instructed that person to do so," he argued. In the early hours of May 19, 2024, a Porsche allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy, son of a well-known realtor, in an inebriated condition knocked down and killed two IT professionals, Anish Awadhiya and his friend Ashwini Costa, who were riding a two-wheeler in Kalyani Nagar.  Currently, the juvenile's father, Sassoon Hospital doctors Ajay Taware and Shrihari Halnor, hospital staffer Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen Bashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, and three others are lodged in jail in connection with the alleged swapping of the juvenile's blood samples to conceal his intoxication at the time of the crash. The minor boy is facing separate proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board.