In a significant development in the Pune Porsche car accident case, the state-run Sassoon General Hospital has dismissed a doctor accused of tampering with the blood samples of the teenage driver, as reported by India Today. Dr Shrihari Halnor, the chief medical officer of the hospital, was terminated from his position after allegedly discarding the teen’s blood samples along with two others and replacing them with samples from another individual that showed no presence of alcohol.
According to News18, the Maharashtra government had previously stated that action would be taken against Dr Ajay Taware, the head of the forensic medicine department at Sassoon Hospital, as well as Dr Shrihari Halnor and staff member Atul Ghatkamble. The suspension order for the other two individuals is expected to be issued following the preliminary report of the inquiry committee, as per unnamed sources cited by News18.
Out of the three accused, Dr Ajay Taware’s suspension order is likely to be issued by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s office, as he holds a class one position.
Taware, Halnor, and Ghatkamble were arrested after an investigation revealed that they had allegedly disposed of the blood samples of the minor involved in the Pune Porsche accident case and replaced them with samples from another person that did not contain any traces of alcohol.
The woman and child development department of Maharashtra state has formed a five-person committee to investigate whether the members of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJ Board), appointed by the state, followed proper legal procedures when granting bail to the teenager involved in the car accident on May 19. The committee, as per sources, visited the casualty department and the medical center to understand the process of blood sample collection, preservation, and dispatch to the forensic science lab.
Earlier, the Crime Branch Unit of Pune Police, responsible for investigating the high-profile case, continued to interrogate the two doctors who were arrested. Both doctors have been remanded to police custody until May 30 by the district court.
The senior official of Pune police has confirmed that there is currently no established connection between MLA Tingre and Dr. Taware, despite multiple media reports suggesting a call exchange between them after the incident on May 20. The incident involved a speeding Porche, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old who was intoxicated, colliding with a motorcycle and resulting in the death of two IT professionals. The blood report has become crucial in the investigation, as CCTV footage and police findings indicate that the teenager had consumed alcohol prior to the accident.