Kochi, Oct 26: Kerala Police on Monday registered a case against an Additional District Judge whose 17-year-old son allegedly drove a Mercedes-Benz that killed a scooter rider at Cheranelloor near Kochi, after obtaining permission from the Kerala High Court to proceed against the judicial officer, IANS and Madhyamam Online reported. The judge's name is being withheld because naming him could identify the minor accused.
Source: IANS
Police said they will shortly move the Ernakulam District Sessions Court seeking cancellation of the teenager's bail. The teenager, who does not hold a driving licence, was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board on Monday after he was taken into custody again following protests, reports said.
Source: Madhyamam Online
The accident occurred at around 2:20 a.m. on Sunday on Container Road at Cheranelloor, when the car allegedly driven by the teenager rammed into a scooter ridden by Jayabalakrishnan, 55, a native of Manjali, who died at the spot. Jayabalakrishnan ran a small roadside eatery near the Chittoor temple and was returning home after closing it for the night, IANS reported. His death has left his wife and three children without their principal breadwinner.
Source: IANS
According to the FIR registered by Cheranelloor police, the case was first booked under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for rash driving and causing death by negligence. After protests by the victim's family and local residents over the teenager's initial release on station bail on Sunday evening, police added Section 105 of the BNS, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, Bar and Bench reported.
Source: Bar and Bench
Police are examining the judge's responsibility under the Motor Vehicles Act for allegedly allowing his minor son, who did not possess a driving licence, to use the vehicle, which the judge owns, IANS reported. These are allegations under investigation; no court has made any finding against either the teenager or his father.
Source: IANS
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala directed police to take urgent action after the station-bail release triggered public outrage. The Additional Director General of Police in charge of law and order has been asked to examine the alleged lapses, and a show-cause notice is to be issued to Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, IANS reported.
Source: IANS
Police said they have recovered footage from the teenager's mobile phone that reportedly shows the car being driven at high speed shortly before the crash, and that the investigation into the circumstances of the accident is continuing, reports said.
Source: Madhyamam Online