Pune: The court proceedings in a high-profile case involving tampering of blood samples and destruction of evidence have advanced, as an application to frame charges and initiate the trial against nine accused was filed on Monday (November 25).
The case pertains to an incident where a minor, allegedly driving a luxury car under the influence of alcohol, caused a fatal accident leading to the deaths of two individuals.
Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray submitted the application to Special Judge U. M. Mudholkar, emphasizing the need for a time-bound program to expedite the trial.
Accused Named in the Case
The accused include the minor’s parents, builder Vishal Surendrakumar Agarwal and Shivani Vishal Agarwal, Sassoon Hospital's forensic department head Dr. Ajay Taware, emergency department chief Dr. Shrihari Halnor, and constable Atul Ghatkambale. Additionally, individuals accused of aiding the tampering process include:
Ashfaq Makandar and Amar Gaikwad: Alleged intermediaries in the financial transactions involved.
Aditya Avinash Sood (52): Accused of providing his own blood sample in place of the minor’s.
Ashish Satish Mittal (37): Allegedly involved in substituting blood samples.
The application also mentions Arun Kumar Devnath Singh, who is alleged to have instructed Ashish Mittal to tamper with the samples. Charges against Singh are yet to be filed, after which a unified trial will proceed against all the accused.
Upcoming Hearings
The case is further complicated by additional pending applications, including:
A plea to declare the minor as an adult to facilitate a criminal trial.
Matters regarding the possession of the Porsche car involved in the incident and the minor's passport.
These issues are scheduled for a hearing on January 31, alongside arguments for framing charges against the accused.
Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray highlighted the urgency of expediting the case, stating, "We have requested the court to implement a time-bound program to ensure the trial is resolved at the earliest."
