Pune, 10 March 2026: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Vishal Agarwal, the father of the minor accused who allegedly drove the Porsche car involved in the fatal crash in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar in May 2024 that killed two people.
A bench of Justice B. V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan allowed Agarwal’s appeal and ordered his release on bail, subject to conditions set by the trial court. The judges noted that Agarwal had already spent nearly 22 months in custody and that several other accused in the related cases had also been granted bail.
The court directed that Agarwal must not contact or attempt to influence any witnesses connected with the case. It clarified that if this condition is violated, the state government can move the court to cancel his bail. The bench also asked the trial court to speed up the proceedings and conclude the trial at the earliest.
During the hearing, Justice Nagarathna observed that although people may sometimes try to evade the law, courts must ensure that a person’s liberty is not restricted indefinitely before conviction.
She said bail decisions should be based on legal principles rather than an attempt to send a message to society.
The Maharashtra government opposed the bail plea, arguing that the principle of parity should not apply in Agarwal’s case. The state maintained that while some co-accused had secured bail, their roles were different because the minor driver involved in the accident was Agarwal’s son.
According to investigators, Agarwal was allegedly involved in a conspiracy after the accident to manipulate evidence. The prosecution claims that he arranged ₹5 lakh through his wife to bribe officials and facilitate the swapping of blood samples to obtain a 'nil alcohol' report for the minor and other occupants.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Agarwal, told the court that the minor was driving the car but a family driver had been provided and was present in the vehicle. He argued that the father could not be held responsible for the actions of the minor.
However, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the father of one of the victims, opposed the plea and said the case involved a serious attempt to undermine the justice system. He argued that the incident went beyond a road accident and involved deliberate efforts to manipulate evidence.
The crash occurred around 2:10 am on May 19, 2024, near Kalyani Nagar on Airport Road when a Porsche car allegedly driven by the minor rammed a motorcycle from behind. The victims, Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, later died from severe injuries.
The case was initially registered under several IPC provisions related to rash driving and causing death by negligence. Later, more serious charges, including criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and forgery, were added as the investigation progressed.
With the latest order, Vishal Agarwal will be released on bail while the criminal trial in the case continues.