Pune Porsche Crash: What Happened in Kalyani Nagar and Where the Case Stands

Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Kostha were both 24, both engineers, and were riding home on a motorcycle after meeting friends. In the early hours of 19 May 2024, in Kalyani Nagar, Pune, a Porsche hit their motorcycle from behind. Both of them died.

Police allege that the car was being driven by a 17-year-old who had been drinking and was driving fast. These are allegations until a court rules on them. What is not in doubt is that two young people who had done nothing wrong did not reach home that night.

What happened

• Date: 19 May 2024
• Place: Kalyani Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra
• Victims: Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Kostha, both 24-year-old engineers, on one motorcycle
• Allegation: police say a 17-year-old was driving the Porsche drunk and at high speed when it struck the motorcycle from behind

Early reports gave figures for the car’s exact speed and how far the riders were thrown. We could not confirm these in the reports we checked, so we do not repeat them.

The bail that caused an outcry

Within hours, the Juvenile Justice Board granted the teenager bail. The conditions were to write an essay on road accidents, study traffic rules for 15 days and attend counselling for drinking. Many people saw this as far too lenient, and there was public anger across the country. The families and the public demanded stricter action against the teenager and his parents.

Three days later, the Board sent him to an observation home. On 25 June 2024 the Bombay High Court ordered his release into the care of his paternal aunt. It held that the Board’s orders sending him to the observation home were illegal and outside its powers, and directed that his counselling should continue.

Where the case stands

Police asked for the teenager to be tried as an adult. In July 2025 the Juvenile Justice Board turned this down. It held that the offence did not count as a “heinous” offence under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, following a Supreme Court ruling, so he would be dealt with as a juvenile. In August 2025 Pune police challenged that order in the sessions court. We have not checked the outcome after that, so look for later reports.

Separate investigations looked at how he was served alcohol, how he got the car and allegations that evidence was tampered with. Nobody is described here as guilty before a court decides.

The families left behind

Ashwini Kostha was described as talented, independent and full of plans, “one in a million”. Her mother, Mamata, was in shock. Her brother, Samprit, remembered her as someone who did well at everything and held the family together.

Anish Awadhiya was cheerful and responsible, was supporting his family and planned to do an MBA. His mother, Savita Awadhiya, demanded strict punishment. His father, Om Awadhiya, remembered a son who took on the family’s responsibilities. His younger brother, who lived with him in Pune, lost the person who looked after him.

Response from the public and the government

The families and many others called the first bail conditions a mockery of justice. The case became a test of how the system treats minors from well-off families who are accused of serious offences. The Maharashtra government came under pressure to see that justice was done and to look again at traffic enforcement and juvenile justice.

What this case shows

1. Traffic laws only work if they are enforced. Under-age driving and drink-driving have to be checked and stopped on the road, every time.
2. The keys are a parent’s responsibility. A powerful car in the hands of someone under 18 is a danger to everyone else on the road.
3. Bars must check age. Serving alcohol to under-age customers is how many of these nights begin.
4. The law must be applied the same way to everyone, whatever the family’s money or connections.
5. People need to understand the stakes. At high speed, a rider or pedestrian has almost no chance if they are hit.

What needs to change

• Stricter penalties for under-age driving, and for parents who allow it
• A juvenile justice process that deals properly with serious road offences
• Stronger traffic enforcement, especially for speed and drink-driving late at night
• Awareness campaigns aimed at both young people and parents

What you can do

If you have a teenager at home, talk to them tonight about why they must not drive until they have a licence, and keep the car keys where they cannot simply pick them up. Before any night out, decide who will drive home sober. If you ride a two-wheeler, both rider and pillion should wear a fastened helmet, and at night ride as if nobody can see you. If you come across a crash, call 112 and give the exact location.

More on Pune: see our Pune fire and emergency safety guide for fire brigade numbers, every fire station and the local risks to know.