Kerala judge booked after minor son’s Mercedes crash kills scooter rider
Police plan to seek cancellation of the teenager’s bail following public protests over the handling of the case and the Kerala HC’s approval to proceed against the judge
Kerala Police have filed a case against an Additional District Judge after his 17-year-old son allegedly drove a Mercedes-Benz that hit and killed a scooter rider in Cheranelloor, near Kochi. Police are also preparing to seek cancellation of the teenager’s bail.
The case against the judge followed the Kerala High Court’s approval to proceed against the judicial officer, who owns the car involved in the fatal crash.
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Police are probing whether the judge breached the Motor Vehicles Act by allegedly letting his minor son, who had no driving licence, drive the car.
Following public anger over the handling of the case, they will approach the Ernakulam District Sessions Court seeking cancellation of the teenager’s bail.
Police face protests over bail
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday when Jayabalakrishnan (55), a resident of South Chittoor in Cheranalloor, was hit by a speeding Mercedes-Benz at Container Road in Marapparambu, Cheranalloor. The car was registered in the judge's name and was allegedly driven by his son.
According to police, Jayabalakrishnan, who ran a roadside eatery, was returning home on his scooter when the accident occurred.
Police initially registered a case under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (causing death by negligence) and released the accused on bail from the station by Sunday evening.
The move triggered protests outside Cheranalloor police station, with the deceased's son and daughter, accompanied by activists, demanding the arrest of the accused and his production before the Juvenile Justice Board, police said.
Senior officers subsequently intervened, and based on a preliminary investigation, police invoked Section 105 of the BNS (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).
Teen taken into custody again
Police said that the decision was taken after an investigation revealed that the boy was driving the car at high speed and had driven the vehicle in a similar way before.
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The agitation continued, with protesters demanding that the accused be taken into custody and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, officials said.
Late at night, police reached the judge's residence, took his son into custody and produced him before the Juvenile Justice Board, which granted him bail, officials said.
Though the family dispersed after the proceedings, they demanded that a case be registered against the judge for allegedly allowing his minor son to drive the vehicle.