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Synopsis

The Bombay High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of the father of a minor co-passenger in the Pune Porsche case.

A single-judge bench of the high court, comprising Justice Manish Pitale, was hearing the anticipatory bail plea of the father, who allegedly conspired to change his son’s blood sample.

The 17-year-old, son of a Pune builder, was booked by the Pune Police under Sections 304A, 279, 337, and 338 of the Indian Penal Code after his Porsche hit a motorcycle, resulting in the deaths of two people.

The father contended before the high court that the IPC penalizes making false statements by deception and claimed that no deception was involved, as the doctors were aware of the blood sample change.

The public prosecutor, however, argued that the applicant's remaining absconding has impeded the investigation, especially into the conspiracy and its details.

The high court rejected the argument and said, “It is the said label affixed on the blood sample that was the basis of deception, read with the documents created in conspiracy with co-accused Dr. Halnor. Hence, the contention raised on behalf of the applicant that blood sample is not a 'document' pales into insignificance,” the order reads.

The high court, in its order, also noted that prima facie the material indicated that the blood samples were changed to ensure that the applicant's minor son could go scot-free.

“A perusal of the material that has come on record during the course of investigation prima facie indicates that the blood sample of the minor son of the applicant was replaced with the blood sample of co-accused Ashish Mittal. This was at the behest of the applicant himself, in order to create a document that would ensure that the minor son of the applicant goes scot free,” the order reads.

Case title: Arunkumar Devnath Singh vs State of Maharashtra