Supreme Court Grants Bail to Sassoon Hospital Doctor in Pune Porsche Crash Blood Sample Tampering Case

New Delhi, 27th February 2026: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Dr Ajay Aniruddha Taware, a former forensic department head at Sassoon General Hospital, who is accused of being part of an alleged conspiracy to tamper with blood samples following the fatal Porsche car crash in Pune in May 2024.

A bench comprising Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan allowed Dr Taware’s appeal, citing parity with other co-accused who were granted bail earlier. The court observed that the reasoning adopted while granting bail to the co-accused applied equally in Dr Taware’s case and disposed of the matter accordingly.

Dr Taware, who previously headed the forensic medicine department at Sassoon Hospital, has been accused of colluding with other doctors, hospital staff and individuals linked to the minor driver’s family to manipulate medical evidence. Investigators have alleged that blood samples of the minor occupants of the Porsche involved in the accident were deliberately swapped with samples of other individuals to falsely indicate zero alcohol content.

According to the prosecution, false entries were made in medico-legal case registers, medical certificates and blood sample labels to mislead investigators. It has also been alleged that Dr Taware and another doctor, Dr Shrihari Halnor, accepted a bribe of ₹3 lakh through intermediaries to carry out the alleged tampering.

Appearing for Dr Taware, senior advocate Siddharth Dave told the court that his client was not on duty on the day of the incident and had been on leave. He also argued that since several co-accused had already been granted bail, Dr Taware was entitled to the same relief on the ground of parity.

The State of Maharashtra, however, maintained that Dr Taware was a key conspirator and that other accused acted on instructions allegedly given by him.

Dr Taware had approached the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court, in a December 16, 2025 order, rejected bail pleas filed by him and several other accused. The case involves multiple charges under the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The case stems from a crash that occurred around 2.10 am on May 19, 2024, near Kalyani Nagar on Airport Road in Pune. A Porsche car allegedly driven by a minor rammed into a motorcycle from behind, killing the rider and pillion, identified as Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta. The prosecution has alleged that soon after the accident, a conspiracy was formed to destroy evidence and secure a favourable “nil alcohol” report to shield the minor driver from serious criminal charges.

Earlier, the Supreme Court granted bail to co-accused Ashish Satish Mittal, Aditya Avinash Sood and Amar Santhosh Gaikwad, noting that they had spent nearly 18 months in custody. They are alleged to have provided their blood samples to replace those of the minor occupants seated in the rear of the vehicle. While granting bail in those cases, the court also made strong oral observations on parental responsibility.

Earlier this week, the apex court issued notice on the bail plea of Vishal Agarwal, the father of the minor accused of driving the Porsche, indicating that proceedings in the high-profile case remain ongoing.