PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Meanwhile, the police investigation had revealed that when the boy was taken to Sassoon Hospital for a medical examination after the accident, his blood sample was allegedly replaced with his mother’s. Police said the minor’s blood sample was allegedly thrown into the biomedical waste at Sassoon hospital to destroy the evidence. Police have communicated with the company that disposes of the biomedical waste at the hospital to get further information about the minor’s blood sample. Police arrested his father, mother, Dr Ajay Taware — the former head of the forensic department of Sassoon Hospital, Dr Shrihari Harnol — who was the casualty medical officer at the time, and a Class IV employee Atul Ghatkamble, for allegedly changing the minor’s blood sample by taking financial favours. The trio have since been placed under suspension and are currently in judicial custody. The police had further arrested Makandar and Gaikwad in this case. Police said Makandar took Rs 4 lakh from the minor’s father at a hotel in Kalyani Nagar and gave it to the Sassoon staffers for changing blood samples. Police said they have recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from Dr Halnor, Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble. Police are trying to recover the remaining Rs 1 lakh. Police said a technical investigation and analysis of CCTV videos have revealed that following the Porsche car crash, Makandar was present at the accident spot, Yerwada police station, Sassoon hospital and also in JJB premises. Police are also probing an “important meeting” held between the accused persons for “destroying evidence” by changing the minor’s blood samples."
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STORY: "One month since Porsche crash: Police submit ‘final report’ against juvenile before JJB (Juvenile Justice Board)," published by The Express News Service, on June 18, 2024.
SUB-HEADING: "Police officer: Proof supports plea to try minor as adult."
SUB-HEADING: "Police said the "final report" has information pertaining to CCTV footage obtained from the minor's residence, and also from the two hotels where he consumed liquor."
GISTT: "Pune city police have submitted a “final report” in the Porsche car accident case before the Juvenile Justice Board.
The final report has details pertaining to the evidence of the minor boy’s involvement in the Porsche car accident, a senior police officer said.
A senior police officer said that the evidence supports their plea before the JJB to try the minor as an adult.
Two IT engineers Aneesh Awadhiya and his friend Ashwini Koshta, both 24 and from Madhya Pradesh, died after a speeding Porsche car, allegedly driven by a 17-and-a-half-year-old boy in an inebriated state, hit their motorcycle at Pune’s Kalyani Nagar junction around 2.30 am on May 19.
That same day, a first information report (FIR) was lodged against the minor car driver, at Yerwada police station.
Police produced him before the JJB seeking his custody in the juvenile observation home and had also appealed he be tried as an adult.
But the JJB had granted bail to the minor on conditions like he should “write an essay of 300 words” on road accidents.
Later, on May 22, after the controversy snowballed, the JJB sent him to an observation home till June 5, which was further extended again.
Meanwhile, during investigations, police gathered the alleged evidence against the minor boy. Police said it was mandatory for them to submit the final report on the investigation in this case within one month. Accordingly, a “final report” against the minor was filed before the JJB on Monday. A police officer said the final report comprises details right from the moment he left his home on the evening of May 18 to the accident at Kalyani Nagar on May 19.
Police said the “final report” has information pertaining to CCTV footage obtained from the minor’s residence, and also from the two hotels where he consumed liquor. It has statements of the co-passenger (minor’s friend) and a driver, who were present in the Porsche car at the time of the accident. It also has statements of the minor’s friends who were present with him for the party at the hotels where they had consumed food and liquor before the accident, police said.
Police sources said that the witness statements and the CCTV footage at different locations prove the minor boy was drunk and he was driving the Porsche car that knocked down and killed two IT engineers.
Meanwhile, the police investigation had revealed that when the boy was taken to Sassoon Hospital for a medical examination after the accident, his blood sample was allegedly replaced with his mother’s.
Police said the minor’s blood sample was allegedly thrown into the biomedical waste at Sassoon hospital to destroy the evidence.
Police have communicated with the company that disposes of the biomedical waste at the hospital to get further information about the minor’s blood sample.
Police arrested his father, mother, Dr Ajay Taware — the former head of the forensic department of Sassoon Hospital, Dr Shrihari Harnol — who was the casualty medical officer at the time, and a Class IV employee Atul Ghatkamble, for allegedly changing the minor’s blood sample by taking financial favours. The trio have since been placed under suspension and are currently in judicial custody.
The police had further arrested Makandar and Gaikwad in this case.
Police said Makandar took Rs 4 lakh from the minor’s father at a hotel in Kalyani Nagar and gave it to the Sassoon staffers for changing blood samples. Police said they have recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from Dr Halnor, Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble. Police are trying to recover the remaining Rs 1 lakh.
Police said a technical investigation and analysis of CCTV videos have revealed that following the Porsche car crash, Makandar was present at the accident spot, Yerwada police station, Sassoon hospital and also in JJB premises.
Police are also probing an “important meeting” held between the accused persons for “destroying evidence” by changing the minor’s blood samples.
Currently, the minor’s parents and the other four accused are in judicial custody. A police officer said a chargesheet will be filed against them within 60 days of their arrest.
Police are also preparing to file chargesheets against the minor’s father and grandfather in two more FIRs. In the second FIR related to the Porsche car crash, police had arrested the father along with the owner and managers of the two restaurants where his minor son had allegedly consumed liquor before the accident.
The minor’s grandfather, who is also in judicial custody at Yerwada Central Prison, was arrested along with his father in the third FIR lodged by a driver employed by the family, who alleged that the duo kidnapped and forced him to take the blame for the May 19 accident.
Meanwhile, a five-member committee appointed by the Women and Child Development Commissioner (WCD) of the state prima facie found that the minor in the Porsche car case was hurriedly granted bail by a JJB member and directed to write an essay. On June 14, the WCD issued a show cause notice against two non-judicial members of the JJB, directing them to respond to the findings of the investigation committee within four days."
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
