A Stab in My Chest: Kochi Crash Victim’s Daughter Reacts to Judge’s Anticipatory Bail

A 15-year-old girl, who is the daughter of the 55-year-old street food vendor, who was killed in a Mercedes-Benz accident in Kochi's Cheranalloor, has voiced her distress over the Kerala High Court granting anticipatory bail to the judge whose minor son was allegedly driving the car.

The verdict came soon after her father's death rites were completed, as the family was expecting some justice from the court, Bhadra Keerthi, a street food vendor's daughter, reportedly said.

“This judgement is a stab in my chest,” she told NDTV. Now, the family has decided to take the matter before the Supreme Court in appeal against the High Court order.

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The Kerala High Court has issued anticipatory bail to a judge.High Court of Kerala has granted anticipatory bail to a judge.

The development made by the Kerala High Court on Thursday came after the judge in Kochi under the Motor Vehicles Act was booked when his 17-year-old son allegedly drove his Mercedes-Benz into the scooter of 55 year-old Jaibalakrishnan in Kochi.

Justice Kauser Edappagath, in a single judge order, stated that the investigation personnel had interrogated the judicial officer for four hours and the judge would cooperate with the investigation.

“No place for custodial interrogation. Necessarily, he has to be granted protection. He's a judicial officer, and he will cooperate. For four hours, the police had interrogated him," justice Edappagath said.

The interim relief comes a day after the judge, who presides over a Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, was questioned for several hours by Crime Branch officers at the Aluva Police Club. He has been summoned back to court for questioning on Thursday.

The accident occurred in the early hours of October 25, when Jayabalakrishnan, who owned a street food stall in Chittoor in Kochi, was killed.

The teen was arrested on the spot and released on juvenile probation by the Juvenile Justice Board. He's been detained for culpable homicide (not amounting to murder) and for rash and negligent driving. A special court there will hear a plea to cancel the teenager's bail on Friday.

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The judge was appointed in a case filed under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act that deals with the liability of the guardian of a minor or the owner of a vehicle if it is found that the minor has committed an offence. The provision calls for imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of ₹25,000, and 12 months cancellation of the vehicle's registration.

The provision stipulates that the court shall presume that the juvenile used the motor vehicle with the permission of the vehicle owner or the vehicle's guardian.

The state government has admitted that the police has failed in its investigation into the incident resulting in a death and has suspended four officers of the Cheranalloor police station.

The government also on Wednesday, appointed R Nishanthini, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of 2008 batch as the new commissioner of Kokine City Police, replacing the outgoing commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar.

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