Pune Porsche Hit & Run Case | Supreme Court Issues Notice On Bail Pleas Of Two Businessmen Accused Of Replacing Blood Samples

The Supreme Court today issued notice on bail pleas of businessmenn Ashish Mittal and Aditya Sood, accused in the 2024 Pune Porsche hit and run case in which two persons were killed after being hit by a unregistered Porsche Taycan car allegedly being driven by a minor under the influence of alcohol.Mittal and Sood are accused of swapping the blood samples of two minor occupants of the car (other than the alleged minor driver), who were allegedly under the influence of alcohol, with their own blood samples. They are booked under various sections of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act for forgery, evidence tampering, and bribery.A bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice in their pleas against the Bombay High Court order rejecting bail.BackgroundThe Bombay High Court on December 16, 2025, rejected the bail applications of eight accused in the case. A single judge bench of Justice Shyam Chandak dismissed the pleas filed by Vishal Agarwal, Ashish Mittal, Aditya Sood, Arunkumar Singh, Ashpak Makandar, Amar Gaikwad, Dr Ajay Taware and Dr Shrihari Halnor.Vishal Agarwal is the father of the prime accused (minor driver). Dr. Ajay Taware, the head of the Forensic Medicine Department, and Dr Shrihari Halnor, the Chief Medical Officer, were booked for replacing the blood samples of the two minor accused. Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad were allegedly middlemen who connected Vishal Agarwal with the doctors for swapping the samples. Aditya Sood is alleged to have given his blood sample for replacement with that of his minor son, while Ashish Mittal allegedly gave his blood sample for replacement with Arunkumar Singh's son.The High Court held that there was a strong prima facie case of criminal conspiracy to tamper with prosecution evidence and to create false evidence to shield the juvenile accused who was driving the car at the time of the accident. The court noted that false medical certificates were prepared to show that the child in conflict with law and his friends were not under the influence of alcohol, false entries were made in the MLC register, and incorrect labels were applied on blood samples, carrying false information about the person to whom the samples belonged. The court observed that these acts were allegedly done in exchange for bribe amounts and with the object of saving the juvenile from punishment for the offence under Section 304 of the IPC.The appellants had argued before the High Court that they were not involved in the accident and that there was no strong incriminating material against them. They also alleged violation of their fundamental rights under Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution, contending that the police failed to furnish the grounds of arrest in writing. Opposing bail, the State submitted that vital evidence, i.e., blood samples of the minor accused, was fabricated and that witnesses, including medical students and economically weaker persons, were vulnerable to threats.The High Court observed that evidence is central to the administration of criminal justice and that the object of police investigation is to collect evidence in trust for the State to secure justice for victims and the accused had jointly attempted to erode that process. It further held that lapses in investigation do not automatically entitle an accused to bail and that victims are equally entitled to protection of law under Article 14 of the Constitution. On the plea of violation of Article 22(1), the court found that no demonstrable prejudice was shown and noted that the accused were aware of the illegality and consequences of tampering with evidence. On these findings, the High Court dismissed all eight bail applications, leading to the present challenge before the Supreme Court.Case no. – SLP(Crl) No. 21370/2025 and SLP(Crl) No. 41/2026 Case Title – Ashish Satish Mittal v. State of Maharashtra along with Aditya Avinash Sood v. State of Maharashtra

Pune Porsche Hit & Run Case | Supreme Court Issues Notice On Bail Pleas Of Two Businessmen Accused Of Replacing Blood Samples

Amisha Shrivastava

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Pune Porsche Hit & Run Case | Supreme Court Issues Notice On Bail Pleas Of Two Businessmen Accused Of Replacing Blood Samples

Amisha Shrivastava

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