Pune Porsche Accident Case: Court Grants Judicial Custody to Vishal Agarwal and Five Others Till June 7

Vishal Agarwal, the father of the 17-year-old juvenile accused who killed two IT professionals with his speeding Porsche in the Pune Kalyaninagar area, has been sent to judicial custody till June 7 along with the five other accused who were in police custody. The prosecution requested the extension of their police custody for further investigation; however, the judge of the Pune sessions court denied Police Custody.

The Pune police had booked Agarwal and four others under sections 3, 5, and 199A of the Motor Vehicle Act and sections 77 and 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. Agarwal, along with Naman Bhutada (age 25), owner of Cosie Pub in Mundhwa, and Sachin Kaatkar (age 35), an employee of the same pub, along with Sandip Sangle (age 35), Assistant Restaurant Manager at the Blak Club in the Marriott Suits in Koregaon Park. The Child-in-Conflict with the Law (CCL) visited these pubs before the accident and consumed alcohol and food amounting to Rs 48,000.

The Pune Police additionally charged Vishal Agarwal with section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which carries a maximum jail term of seven years and a fine when clubbed with the other charges framed against Agarwal. As per the police, Agarwal deliberately missed the payment of Rs 1758 of the RTO registration charges of the Porsche car, which was purchased in the name of Bramha Ledgers. The police stated in court that the payment was missed to dupe the government by not paying the RTO registration fees.

The court denied the Public Prosecutor's plea for granting Police custody, considering it unnecessary. The Public Prosecutor argued at length and brought forward points for investigating the CCTV DVR, claiming that it could be tampered with. The Police also stated that the PC (Police Custody) was required as they needed to procure the agreement papers and licenses of Hotel Cosie and Blak. Advocate Prashant Patil and Advocate SK Jain, who were defending the accused, handed over copies of the agreement papers and licenses of the hotel in front of the court.

Advocate Prashant Patil and Advocate SK Jain, during arguments, referred to various past judgments of the Supreme Court.

Earlier, while addressing the press, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar made shocking revelations of evidence tampering. The father of the accused, during interrogation, stated that the driver was driving the car. However, an investigation by the Pune Police revealed that the driver was pressured by the father of the minor to confess to the police that he was driving the car and was also given a monetary offer for the false confession.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar stated that the father will be charged with section 201 IPC for tampering with the evidence.

It was revealed in the CCTV footage that the minor accused was driving the car, and the driver had informed the father of the minor accused about his intoxicated state. However, the father allowed the minor to drive the car, asking the driver to step out of the driving seat. There were a total of four people in the car, including the driver and two friends of the accused.