The Supreme Court granted interim bail to Shivani Agarwal, the mother of a teenager accused of causing a fatal crash in Pune last year, where two techies were killed. Agarwal had been arrested after it was revealed that she had allegedly replaced her son’s blood sample with hers to conceal his intoxication during the investigation.
The top court's decision came while it reserved its final ruling on the legality of her arrest, noting that the chargesheet in the case had already been filed, and the accused had been in jail for approximately 10 months. Agarwal’s legal team challenged her arrest, asserting that she was not informed of the grounds for her detention, either verbally or in writing, which they argued violated her rights under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). They also contended that as a woman, she was entitled to specific protections under the law.
The Supreme Court also observed that the allegations against Agarwal were primarily related to her role in fabricating evidence to protect her son, the primary accused. Her son, who was 17 years old at the time, is alleged to have been driving a Porsche under the influence of alcohol when he collided with the bike of the two techies on May 19, 2024, in Pune's Kalyani Nagar. Both victims died in the crash.
The court acknowledged the serious nature of the charges but granted interim relief to Agarwal, allowing her to be released on bail while the case progresses. It further reserved its decision on similar petitions concerning the legality of arrest procedures, which could have broader implications on how such arrests are handled in the future.
This case has drawn attention to the issue of parental involvement in attempting to cover up crimes committed by their children, particularly in high-profile cases involving young offenders and fatal accidents. The legal proceedings surrounding this case are likely to continue drawing scrutiny as they address both the specific facts of the crash and the broader questions about justice, evidence tampering, and the rights of individuals involved in such cases.
