Porsche crash case: Maharashtra approves prosecution of 3 Sassoon hospital staff

Former head of the Forensic Medicine Department at Sassoon Hospital Dr Taware, former Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Srihari Halnor, and hospital staff member Atul Ghatkamble are accused of swapping the minor's blood sample with that of his mother.

In Short

• 2 doctors, hospital staff accused of tampering evidence
• Blood samples allegedly swapped to misrepresent alcohol test
• Crash killed 2 IT professionals in Pune on May 19

The Maharashtra government has approved the prosecution of three individuals—two doctors and an employee of Sassoon General Hospital—over their alleged involvement in tampering with evidence in the Porche car crash case. The incident, which occurred in Pune on May 19, resulted in the deaths of two IT professionals after their two-wheeler was hit by a Porsche driven by an allegedly intoxicated 17-year-old.

Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hire confirmed that the necessary government approvals had been secured.

Former head of the Forensic Medicine Department at Sassoon Hospital Dr Taware, former Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Srihari Halnor, and hospital staff member Atul Ghatkamble are accused of swapping the minor’s blood sample with that of his mother to distort the results of an alcohol test.

The crash, which took place around 2.30 am, led to the immediate deaths of Anish Awadiya and his friend Ashwini Koshta, both IT engineers.

An FIR was filed against the minor driver at Yerawada police station. During the subsequent investigation, police uncovered evidence suggesting that the minor’s blood sample had been switched at Sassoon Hospital to misrepresent his blood alcohol content.

The government’s sanction, submitted under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), is required for prosecuting public servants and facilitated the prosecution of Dr Taware, Dr Halnor, and Ghatkamble. Alongside these three, the minor’s parents and two middlemen are also in jail.