The investigation into the fatal Cheranalloor crash in Kochi will be transferred to the District Crime Branch, Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar has said, as questions grow over how the case was handled in its first hours. The crash, early on Sunday, killed Jayabalakrishnan, 55, who ran a roadside food stall and was returning home after closing his business when a Mercedes-Benz allegedly driven by a 17-year-old hit his scooter from behind on Container Road in Cheranalloor.

Source: Madhyamam Online

The police will also conduct an internal inquiry to determine whether there were any lapses in handling the case, the commissioner said. The teenager's initial release on station bail triggered protests by the victim's family; he was subsequently taken into custody again and faced additional charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, before the Juvenile Justice Board granted him bail. Kumar said steps would be taken to seek cancellation of the bail granted to the 17-year-old, who allegedly drove the car at excessive speed without a licence.

Source: Madhyamam Online

100 kmph+Speed police say the car had reached at some point before the collision
2:20 a.m.Time of the crash on Sunday, Container Road, Cheranalloor
55Age of Jayabalakrishnan, the scooter rider who died

Police cite speed evidence; exact speed at impact not yet established

Police said they had found evidence that the vehicle had travelled at more than 100 kmph at some point before the collision, and on that basis investigators added Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, along with charges related to speeding. Kumar said investigators did not yet have direct evidence or eyewitnesses to establish the vehicle's speed at the exact moment of impact, and that CCTV footage was still being examined. The crime branch probe is expected to examine the vehicle's movements, the electronic evidence and the circumstances in which the minor was allowed to drive.

Source: Urban Acres (The Hindu reporting)

A case had already been registered against the boy's father, an Additional District Judge, as the Mercedes-Benz involved in the accident was registered in his name. He has been arraigned as an accused under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, which provides that where a juvenile commits an offence, the guardian or the owner of the vehicle shall be deemed guilty and liable to punishment, subject to statutory exceptions. Police said steps were taken in accordance with the Supreme Court guidelines applicable when a judicial officer is booked, after the Kerala High Court permitted the case against the judge. The teenager reportedly told police that he had taken the car from their apartment without his parents' knowledge. The allegations in the case are yet to be tested in court, and the victim's family has vowed to pursue legal action until those responsible are held accountable.

Source: Bar and Bench

The judge's booking and the police move to seek cancellation of the teenager's bail were reported in our earlier story. Read: Judge booked in fatal Cheranalloor Mercedes crash