Kochi Mercedes crash victim’s family intensifies protest; demands cancellation of minor's bail, action against judge

The family of a street food vendor in Kochi, who died after a Mercedes-Benz driven by a judge’s minor son hit his scooter on Monday, intensified their protest over the alleged inaction by officials. The protest comes after the Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to the 17-year-old accused earlier on Monday.

The family expressed outrage over the bail order and said the protest would continue until the bail was cancelled. They also put forward three additional demands that must be met before they call off the agitation.

Jayabalakrishnan’s children demanded the arrest of both the minor and his father for their alleged involvement in the incident. They also called for the suspension of the judge.

Their third demand concerns allegations that a police officer forcibly deleted a photograph the family had taken of the accused at the police station. They termed the alleged act as destruction of evidence.

“They should find the officer concerned and take the necessary action,” Jayabalakrishnan’s daughter, Bhadhrakeerthi, told the media. “We have put forward these three demands. Action must be taken today itself. Until then, I won’t leave here,” she added.

“However long it takes, we will sit here. I lost my father, and I won’t get him back. The judge should not protect his son using his power. We will sit here in protest,” his son said.

The family also demanded action against the judge who granted bail to the minor earlier on Monday. “Yesterday, they convinced us and misled us into leaving. Today won’t be like that. We will be here until action is taken,” he said.

“The first instance of destruction of evidence occurred at this very police station. They deleted the photograph taken of the judge’s son here,” another protester alleged.

The accident occurred around 2.20 am near the Ford showroom at Maraparambu on Container Road in Cheranalloor. Jayabalakrishnan, a native of Manjali, was returning home after closing his roadside eatery near Chittoor temple when the Mercedes-Benz hit his scooter.

According to the police, the teenager, the son of an additional sessions judge in Irinjalakuda, had taken the car without his parents’ knowledge. The police said further investigation, including the examination of witnesses and scrutiny of available CCTV footage, was under way to establish the circumstances of the accident.

He was initially booked under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for rash driving on a public way and causing death by negligence. However, the police added a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder on Sunday evening.

The teenager was initially released on station bail under Section 8 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. However, he was taken into custody again following protests by the victim’s relatives and local residents outside the Cheranalloor police station. He was subsequently produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which granted him bail.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also acknowledged lapses in the police handling of the case. Responding to a submission by Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan in the Assembly, Chennithala described the incident as tragic. He acknowledged that the initial police response had been inadequate and that there had been a lapse on the part of the police.

The minister also said he had directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to review the case. Following this, the DGP and the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) in charge of law and order intervened, and the additional charge was included.