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| The Pune Porsche crash |
On the night of 18th May 2024, a 24-year-old man named Aneesh and a 24-year-old woman named Ashwini went to a club in Pune to party with their friends. They were from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, but they were working together in an IT company in Pune. The club they went to is called Ballr. Just 3 km away from this club, on the same night, Vedant and his 12 friends gathered at a pub called Cosie. It was 10:40 pm when Vedant and his friends entered this pub. Within 1.5 hours, they spent so much money that their bill reached ₹48,000. CCTV footage from the club shows Vedant and his friends drinking alcohol. It is worth noting that Vedant is under 18, much younger than the legal drinking age. Around midnight, the pub stopped serving Vedant and his friends, so they left and headed to another club, Blak, in Marriott Suites, about 3 km away from Ballr. At around 2 am, Vedant and two friends, drunk, left Blak and got into his electric Porsche Taycan. Aneesh and Ashwini were also returning home on a motorcycle when Vedant's Porsche, speeding at an estimated 160 to over 200 kmph, collided with them on Kalyani Nagar Airport Road, resulting in their deaths.
Vedant's Porsche's airbags deployed upon impact, and bystanders quickly gathered at the collision scene. Vedant was manhandled and questioned by the crowd before being handed over to the police. Vedant Agarwal, taken to the Yerwada police station, was soon joined by MLA Sunil Tingre at 3 am, who claimed he went there because of his long-standing relationship with Vedant's family, particularly Vedant's father, Vishal Agarwal, a prominent builder. A Mercedes car arrived at the station later, carrying 6-7 pizza cartons, suggesting a feast-like atmosphere at the station that night. By 6 am, Tingre left the station, and by 8:26 am, an FIR was filed against Vedant under Section 304A (Death by Negligence), which carries a maximum punishment of 2 years in jail, rather than Section 304 (Culpable Homicide Not Amounting to Murder), which has a maximum punishment of 10 years. This discrepancy raised questions about possible political influence in the case.
The police had Vedant's blood tested at 11 am, about 8 hours after the incident. Despite the delay, which should have still shown alcohol in his bloodstream, the test came back negative due to the doctor at the hospital allegedly tampering with the sample for a bribe of ₹300,000. The doctors involved, Dr. Ajay Taware and Dr. Shrihari Halnor, were arrested. Additionally, Vedant's mother and grandfather attempted to persuade their driver to take the blame for the accident, but witnesses prevented this. The Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to Vedant, with the condition that he prepare a presentation on road safety and write a 300-word essay on the topic. This lenient punishment sparked nationwide outrage and led to widespread social media protests.
The police, responding to public pressure, moved the Sessions Court on 20th May to try Vedant as an adult and to modify the charge to Section 304. The court directed them to approach the Juvenile Justice Board. Meanwhile, FIRs were filed against the owners and managers of the pubs that served alcohol to Vedant. Judge SP Ponkshe, during the remand application hearing, made controversial comments implying that pub owners should monitor patrons' alcohol consumption to prevent drunk driving. This appeared to shift the blame away from Vedant and his family. Under public pressure, an FIR was also lodged against Vedant's father under multiple sections, including for neglect and supplying alcohol to a minor. Vishal Agarwal was arrested on 21st May after initially attempting to evade the authorities.
Vedant was produced in the Juvenile Court on 22nd May, and Section 185 for driving under the influence was added to his charges. The police requested that Vedant be tried as an adult, but due to legal technicalities, including the lack of a minimum sentence under Section 304 and Vedant's age being just shy of 18, it remains uncertain if this will be granted. The case highlights systemic corruption and the disparity in how the law treats the wealthy versus the common man. The public's unified outcry has been crucial in pushing for justice, underscoring the importance of collective action against injustice. Dr. BR Ambedkar's call to "Educate, Agitate, Organise" serves as a reminder of the power of unity in challenging a corrupt system.