Kochi, Oct 26 Police on Monday arraigned an Additional District and Sessions Judge as an accused after a car allegedly driven by his 17-year-old son hit and killed a scooterist at Cheranalloor here, officials said.
Police said that, considering the sensitive nature of the case, the probe was transferred to the District Crime Branch on Monday.
The judge, who serves a court in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district, was arraigned under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, which holds a juvenile’s guardian or the registered owner of the vehicle liable for an offence committed by the minor under the Act, police said.
The Kerala High Court on Monday granted permission to the police to arraign the judge as an accused, sources said.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, when Jayabalakrishnan (55), a resident of South Chittoor in Cheranalloor, was struck by a speeding Mercedes-Benz on Container Road at Marapparambu.
The car was registered in the judge’s name and was allegedly driven by his son.
Jayabalakrishnan, who ran a roadside eatery, was returning home on his scooter when the accident occurred, police said.
Police initially registered a case under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (causing death by negligence) and released the teenager on bail from the police station on Sunday evening.
Following protests by the victim’s family outside the Cheranalloor police station, the teenager was apprehended again and booked under Section 105 of the BNS (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).
He was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which granted him bail.
A police officer said that they have also initiated steps to cancel the bail granted to the juvenile, as investigators have recovered a video showing the teenager filming while driving.
In the video recovered from the boy, the vehicle is seen allegedly travelling at around 104 kmph, police said.
Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said the investigation has been transferred to the District Crime Branch, citing the case’s sensitivity and seriousness.
“The responsibility of the vehicle’s registered owner and guardian is also being examined as part of the investigation,” the commissioner said, adding that legal action would be taken based on the findings.
Describing the incident as serious, he said such accidents were unacceptable and stressed the need for parents to ensure that vehicles were not driven irresponsibly.
The police were also examining whether there had been any lapses at the local police station, he said.
Bhadrakeerthy, the victim’s daughter, told reporters on Monday that she would continue her fight for justice and would not allow the judge or his minor son to escape responsibility for her father’s death.
She said she has no faith in the police, alleging that the teenager has received preferential treatment because he was the son of a judge.
The victim’s family staged a protest outside the Cheranalloor police station, demanding action against police personnel who had initially registered a case under a lesser charge against the teenager.
Jayabalakrishnan’s son Barathsankar told reporters that the family would continue its protest until action was taken against the judge and the Juvenile Justice Board that granted bail to the teenager.
The accident was also raised in the Keralam Assembly by Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan during a discussion on Monday.
Vijayan referred to an earlier accident in Nedumbassery in which a Mini Cooper luxury car allegedly driven by a 19-year-old killed three young people.
He said the recurrence of such incidents, along with alleged attempts by the minor’s father to intervene, was a matter of serious concern and urged the government to examine the case closely.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said he agreed with the Opposition leader’s concerns and assured the Assembly that the police would take strong action.
“The initial action taken by the Cheranalloor police was not correct,” Chennithala said, acknowledging lapses in the police response that led to the teenager’s release on bail from the station.
He said the police should have initially invoked the appropriate provisions, including culpable homicide, and that he had directed the Director General of Police to review the case.
The DGP and the ADGP in charge of law and order subsequently intervened, following which the relevant charge was added, he said.
Chennithala said the vehicle was reportedly registered in the judge’s name and warned that action would be taken against the father if warranted by the investigation.
(PTI News)
