The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to three men accused of tampering with blood samples in the 2024 Pune Porsche crash case, in which two young software engineers were killed.

The accused—Ashish Mittal, Aditya Sood and Amar Gaikwad—had been in jail for about 18 months.

The case relates to a May 19, 2024 accident in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area, where a 17-year-old allegedly driving a Porsche while drunk hit a two-wheeler, killing Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta on the spot.

After the accident, the juvenile’s parents, doctors from a government hospital and others were arrested for allegedly trying to manipulate blood test reports to show that the minor was not intoxicated. The prosecution claimed that blood samples were swapped at Sassoon Hospital and that Gaikwad acted as a middleman in the process.

While granting bail, Justice BV Nagarathna made strong remarks on parenting. She said parents who give money and expensive cars to children instead of spending time with them fail in their responsibility. She added that celebrations cannot mean reckless driving that puts innocent lives at risk.

The Court noted that even the maximum punishment for the juvenile driver is three years and that the case is being heard by the Juvenile Justice Board. Since the accused had already spent a long time in jail, the Court said further custody was not justified.

The Supreme Court granted bail with strict conditions and warned that any attempt to contact or influence witnesses would lead to cancellation of bail.