"Public Sentiment Can't Dictate Bail": Kerala Court On Mini Cooper Crash Case

The Kerala High Court has granted bail to the four accused in the high-profile Mini Cooper crash case that killed three young people near Kochi last month, while directing that the release of the main accused, Suhail Sajeev, be deferred by 10 days.

Noting the strong public sentiment surrounding the case, the court said decisions cannot be based on public opinion but must be taken in accordance with law and procedures.

The order came on the bail applications filed by all the accused in the case. Justice Kauser Edappagath passed the order on the bail petitions filed by Sajeev, Ninav, Joyal Anto and Ameen Shah.

The court clarified that the co-accused would be granted bail immediately. However, 19-year-old Suhail Sajeev, the first accused in the case who allegedly drove the car under the influence of alcohol, will be released only after 10 days.

During the hearing, the High Court described the Nedumbassery Mini Cooper accident as unfortunate and asked whether all evidence in the case had been collected. The prosecution informed the court that evidence is still being gathered and said the investigation could be completed within two weeks.

The defence lawyers during the hearing submitted that all four accused were 19-year-old students and that their studies had been affected by their prolonged judicial custody. The prosecution, however, opposed the pleas, pointing out that the three persons killed in the accident were also youngsters from poor families and were the hopes of their families.

Two women and a man, all around 21 years old, were killed when the speeding Mini Cooper rammed into their scooter at Nedumbassery near Kochi in the early hours of October 11.

The case had drawn significant public attention following reports of remarks allegedly made by Suhail to police after the accident. According to reports, he allegedly said, "What are roads meant for? Driving, right?" after the crash and also claimed that his father would take care of the matter.

BMW Report On Vehicle Speed

Meanwhile, BMW, the manufacturer of the Mini Cooper involved in the accident, inspected the vehicle and found that its speed five seconds before the crash was about 162 kmph, police said on Thursday.

According to the crash data analysis, the driver applied the brakes around one second before hitting the two-wheeler, when the car's speed was 144 kmph.

Police said their conclusion, based on CCTV footage, that the vehicle was overspeeding has been confirmed through the technical inspection conducted by BMW.

In a statement, police said investigators had found from CCTV visuals that the luxury car travelled 500 metres in just 11 seconds. The findings were supported by data analysed from the vehicle's Advanced Crash Safety Module (ACSM), the report added.

Police described the BMW analysis as crucial evidence, saying it provides a scientific basis for the findings of the investigation team.

(With inputs from PTI)