Pune Porsche case: Court reserves order on bail pleas of builder and pub staffers till June 21

A special court on Monday reserved its order until June 21 on the bail plea filed by the father of a 17-year-old Porsche Taycan driver. 

The father, a city-based builder, is accused of allowing his son to drive the car despite knowing the teen had no driving license and was untrained. The court also reserved its decision on the bail pleas of the Cosie pub owner and manager, Blak Marriott pub’s assistant manager and bartender, and a workforce consultant.

Senior Inspector Ganesh Mane from the crime branch (unit IV) filed a written submission opposing the bail pleas of the six applicants during the hearing before Judge SM Salunkhe. Additional Public Prosecutor Vidya Vibhute argued that the builder might tamper with evidence and influence witnesses if released on bail. 

She highlighted that the accused had tampered with the digital video recorder of the CCTV cameras at his Wadgaon Sheri bungalow following the car crash. Vibhute urged the court to reject the bail pleas of the five other applicants, stating there was sufficient evidence they had allowed entry to the teen and his friends without membership and served them liquor.

The builder’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, contended that his client could not be arrested under section 75 (punishment for cruelty to a child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act and section 199 (A) (presuming that the motor vehicle driven by a minor was with the consent of the guardian) of the Motor Vehicles Act, arguing that the offenses were non-cognizable and bailable.