Pune: The prosecution told a special court on Monday that Dr Shrihari Halnor, now suspended casualty medical officer of Sassoon General Hospital, on May 26 had orally complained to the medical superintendent that he had acted at the behest of the now suspended forensic science department head, Dr Ajay Taware, to manipulate the blood alcohol test of the teenage Porsche Taycan driver . Two young software engineers had died at Kalyaninagar around 2.30 am on May 19 when the 17-year-old, who is the son of a city-based builder, rammed the high-end car into their bike while he was returning home to Wadgaon Sheri after partying with friends at two pubs in Mundhwa.
The teenager’s parents, along with Taware, Halnor, Sassoon hospital’s now suspended mortuary staffer Atul Ghatkamble, and two middlemen, Ashfaque Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, were arrested on charges of bribery and altering the blood alcohol report by swapping the minor’s blood sample with that of his mother’s. Barring Ghatkamble, the remaining co-accused have applied for regular bail. Concluding his arguments before special judge U M Mudholkar, special prosecutor Shishir Hiray said that the medical superintendent had asked Halnor to file a written complaint, but before he could do that the Pune police arrested Halnor, Taware as well as Ghatkamble.
The defence lawyers will reply to the prosecution's arguments on Aug 14. Hiray read out the investigation papers to show that Taware, one of the main accused, had played a key role in influencing his subordinates, Halnor and Ghatkamble, at the behest of other accused. The prosecutor said there was sufficient evidence such as call detail records, chats on mobile messenger apps, and forensic reports to show that the six accused had entered into a criminal conspiracy .
He pleaded with the court to reject the bail. We also published the following articles recently Alcohol in blood: Breathalyser may not stand test of time A Chandigarh study revealed that blood alcohol levels may not reach the legal limit within the first hour of consumption, though breathalysers may indicate otherwise. This finding stemmed from a 2017 case where a court acquitted a man charged with drunken driving.
Researchers found breathalyser readings initially higher than blood tests, which reversed over time. Pune Porsche crash: 'Blood samples of minor's two friends were also switched' Blood samples of a 17-year-old involved in the Kalyani Nagar Porsche crash were allegedly replaced at Sassoon Hospital to show negative alcohol results. Two doctors, the minor's parents, and middlemen are accused.
Prosecutor Hiray argued that doctors swapped the samples for bribes. The crash killed two IT professionals, raising serious charges of tampering evidence. Shortage of drugs, staff, funds: 3 ailments that plague Pune's Sassoon Hospital Sassoon General Hospital in Pune expanded its capacity by 500 beds during the Covid-19 pandemic but has not received formal approval for the additional beds.
The hospital is struggling with staff shortages and a lack of medicines. Only 1,717 out of 2,341 sanctioned posts are filled, and at least 3,241 employees are needed for optimal functioning..
