A Kerala additional district judge, whose 17-year-old son was involved in a fatal vehicle collision in Kochi, has been granted protection from arrest by the Kerala High Court. The accident, which occurred in the early hours of October 25 in the city’s Chittoor area, resulted in the death of a local street food vendor identified as Jayabalakrishnan. The teenager, who was detained at the scene of the incident, has since been granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board.
In his application for anticipatory bail, the judicial officer maintained that he had no knowledge of his son taking the family’s Mercedes-Benz. According to his submission, he was asleep at his residence when the minor drove the car away, and he only became aware of the incident after receiving a phone call notifying him of the accident. The judge argued that no further custodial investigation was required, noting that he had already been subjected to a four-hour interrogation by the police.
Justice Kauser Edappagath, who presided over the hearing, noted the judge's assurance that he would cooperate with the ongoing probe. The court observed that given the duration of the previous interrogation and the petitioner's status as a judicial officer, there was no necessity for custodial measures. The court subsequently provided the judge with interim protection from arrest, marking a significant development in the high-profile legal case.
The legal scrutiny surrounding the judge stems from Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, which allows for action against a vehicle owner or guardian if a minor commits an offense using their vehicle. This provision carries a presumption that the minor acted with the owner’s consent. Under this law, the offense can lead to a maximum of three years in prison, a fine of ₹25,000, and the cancellation of the vehicle's registration for one year. The judge’s plea also referenced a search warrant executed by the local magistrate, during which police examined his residence and seized electronic devices and a motorbike to establish his level of involvement.
Meanwhile, the handling of the crash investigation has drawn significant public and administrative concern. The Kerala state government recently acknowledged procedural lapses in how the police managed the aftermath of the collision. As a consequence, four police personnel from the Cheranalloor station have been placed under suspension. Furthermore, the Kochi City Police Commissioner, Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, was removed from his post, with 2008-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer R. Nishanthini appointed as his successor.
The teenager, who faces charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder as well as rash and negligent driving, continues to be the subject of legal proceedings. A special court in Ernakulam is expected to hear a petition regarding the potential cancellation of the juvenile’s bail this Friday. The case has sparked a broader conversation regarding parental responsibility and the oversight of minors operating high-performance vehicles, as authorities continue to investigate the sequence of events leading to the death of the vendor.
As the legal process unfolds, the focus remains on the specific circumstances of the vehicle's usage and whether the owner exercised sufficient diligence. The High Court's decision to grant the judge protection serves as an interim measure while the formal investigation into the lapses at the police level and the circumstances of the crash continue under the new leadership in the Kochi police department.
Comments