Bombay High Court denies anticipatory bail to father in fatal Pune drunk driving Porsche case
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of a man accused of tampering with evidence to shield his son, a minor, involved in a fatal accident in May.
Justice Manish Pitale, while delivering the order, observed that prima facie evidence supported the charges against the applicant. The case involves a high-end car accident in Kalyaninagar on May 19, which claimed the lives of two motorbike-borne IT professionals, including a woman. The applicant's son, allegedly intoxicated and seated in the rear of the vehicle driven by a teenage friend, is under investigation.
The prosecution alleges that the parents of the minor driver bribed doctors to swap his blood sample with that of his mother. The applicant is accused of similarly conspiring with doctors at Sassoon General Hospital to replace his son’s blood sample, with the intention of obstructing the investigation.
The police informed the court that while other accused in the case had been arrested, the applicant had remained absconding. The high court noted that his absence hindered the investigation and pointed to the deliberate tampering of evidence.
Senior counsel Aabad Ponda, representing the applicant, argued that at most, his client could be charged under Section 201 of the IPC (causing disappearance of evidence), which is a bailable offense. However, public prosecutor Shishir Hiray opposed the plea, highlighting that the sessions court had rightly dismissed the bail request on September 9.
The court concluded that the applicant’s involvement in the manipulation of blood samples warranted the rejection of his bail plea, reinforcing the need for a thorough investigation.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
