Shivani Agarwal, Mother of Teen in Pune Porsche Crash, Released on Bail After 10 Months in Jail
Pune, April 26: Shivani Agarwal, mother of the 17-year-old boy involved in last year’s fatal Pune Porsche crash, was released from Yerawada Central Prison on Saturday after spending over 10 months in custody. Her release came days after the Supreme Court granted her interim bail earlier this week.
Agarwal was among 10 people arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence in the case, including swapping her blood sample with her son’s to hide his alleged alcohol consumption at the time of the crash. She is the first among the accused to be granted bail in the case that had triggered nationwide outrage.
Following her release around noon, Agarwal visited the local police station to complete the necessary bail formalities.
The crash, which occurred on May 19, 2024, claimed the lives of two IT professionals, Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, after the teenager, allegedly drunk, rammed his father’s Porsche into their motorcycle. Several others — including the boy’s father, doctors from Sassoon Hospital, a hospital staffer, two middlemen, and three others — remain in custody.
The Supreme Court granted Agarwal interim bail citing the fact that she had already served more than 10 months in jail. Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari, representing Agarwal, argued that Section 437 of the Criminal Procedure Code allows for the granting of bail to women even in non-bailable offences.
On Friday, the special court in Pune imposed strict bail conditions: Agarwal must submit a personal bond of ₹1 lakh with one or two sureties, surrender her passport, keep her phone’s tower location active, report to Yerawada police station every Wednesday, and refrain from disclosing her identity publicly for three months. She has also been barred from leaving the country without prior court approval and from interfering with the ongoing investigation.
Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray had sought additional restrictions, including prohibiting Agarwal from living within Pune district and posting on social media, but these requests were turned down by Additional Sessions Judge Kishor N. Shinde.
“We have fulfilled all conditions set by the Special Court, and accordingly, our client has been released,” said advocate Dhvani Shah, who is part of Agarwal’s legal team.
