Kochi Mercedes Crash: Cops Search Home Of Minor Accused's Judge Father

Kochi Police on Wednesday carried out searches at the residence of the judge whose son is an accused in a hit-and-run case. The searches were carried out at the judge's flat on the directions of the Kerala High Court, and the police have collected CCTV footage and other evidence. An ACP of the Crime Branch, which is now heading the probe, and a team from the Photographic Bureau were at the flat for the inspection.

The searches came a day after police made the Additional District and Sessions Judge an accused after a car allegedly driven by his 17-year-old son hit and killed a scooterist at Cheranalloor in Kochi.

The judge, who serves in 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.

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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.

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.

The victim's family has been demanding the arrest of the judge and his son. The family members are also planning to move the high court to seek the judge's removal.

A police officer said that they have also initiated steps to cancel the bail granted to the minor.

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The family had questioned the delay in registering a case against the judge as the vehicle's owner. Following his release on bail, the minor allegedly deleted earlier videos showing speeding and made his Instagram account private.

Independent checks of the teenager's social media presence and accounts from police sources contradicted the claim of a novice driver testing a vehicle for the first time. Prior to the crash, the minor operated a public Instagram handle with over 2,500 followers where he regularly posted driving reels.

Sources said several videos showed him clocking speeds of up to 200 kmph in the same Mercedes-Benz. Within hours of the Sunday morning crash, all posts on the handle were deleted and the Instagram account was switched to private.

The victim's daughter and her brother alleged the judge and the police acted in concert to shield the minor and suppress the presence of three other passengers in the car at the time of impact.

Acknowledging lapses in the investigation, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Monday told the Assembly that strict action would be taken against officers responsible for failing to include appropriate legal provisions in the initial FIR. On Tuesday, he reiterated that even the judge will not be given any preferential treatment.

Four police personnel have been suspended, and the FIR in the case has been updated with Section 199A to include the judge, who is the owner of the car.