Kochi: Justice P. V. Kunhikrishnan, the Kerala High Court judge responsible for administrative oversight of the Thrissur district judiciary, has recommended the immediate suspension of the additional district judge in the Cheranalloor Mercedes crash case and a detailed inquiry into his conduct, The Arabian Post reported. The judge's 17-year-old son allegedly drove the Mercedes-Benz that killed scooter rider Jayabalakrishnan, 55, on Container Road in Cheranalloor, near Kochi, on 25 October.

Source: The Arabian Post

The recommendation followed findings that the judicial officer visited Cheranalloor police station after learning that his son had been taken into custody. The visit was neither connected with official duties nor authorised beforehand by the Principal Sessions Judge, according to the judicial assessment cited in the report. Supreme Court guidelines restrict judicial officers from visiting police stations except for official or judicial purposes and require prior permission from the appropriate judicial authority.

Recommendation is not a suspension order

The recommendation has been referred for consideration by the High Court's Administrative Committee, comprising the Chief Justice and senior judges. A recommendation for suspension does not itself constitute a disciplinary order, and the committee must determine the appropriate action, The Arabian Post reported. LawChakra, in its separate report on the case, likewise noted that media reports said the portfolio judge had recommended the judge's suspension and a detailed inquiry, that the final call rests with the Administrative Committee, and that no suspension order has been reported.

Source: LawChakra

Police questioned the judicial officer at his residence in Companypady, Aluva, on Monday evening. He maintained that his son had taken the vehicle without his knowledge or permission and denied knowing that the teenager regularly drove it, according to The Arabian Post. The judge has been booked as an accused under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act because he is the registered owner of the Mercedes-Benz allegedly driven by his underage son.

The crash and the probe so far

The accident occurred at around 2.20 am on 25 October along Container Road near Maraparambu in Cheranalloor. Jayabalakrishnan, who operated a roadside eatery near Chittoor, was returning home on his scooter when the Mercedes struck the two-wheeler from behind, and he died at the scene. Preliminary police findings indicated that the car was travelling at more than 100 kilometres per hour before the collision, and investigators have examined video evidence relating to the vehicle's speed, according to the report. The teenager initially secured bail, after which police added a culpable homicide charge and approached the court seeking cancellation of bail. Four police personnel have already been suspended over lapses in the initial investigation, as reported earlier.

Source: The Arabian Post