Minor at wheel, father gets relief: High Court grants bail to judge in fatal Kochi Mercedes crash case

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has granted anticipatory bail to an Additional District Judge, whose 17-year-old son was driving the Mercedes-Benz car that hit a scooter, killing roadside eatery owner Jayabalakrishnan, in Cheranalloor. The court observed that there was no need to take the judge, who is the owner of the car, into custody for questioning. The order was passed by a bench presided over by Justice Kausar Edappagath.

The Additional District Judge is the second accused in the case. Questioning the need for his arrest, Justice Edappagath noted that the prosecution had not alleged that he was failing to cooperate with the investigation. He had already been questioned for six hours, and investigators had searched his residence and seized documents and other materials, whose examination was still pending. The court asked what justified his arrest under these circumstances.

The family of Jayabalakrishnan strongly opposed the bail application, arguing that the judge could use his influence to sabotage the investigation if granted bail. However, the court observed that the Additional District Judge was fully cooperating with the investigation and granted him anticipatory bail, while directing him to continue cooperating with the investigators.

The accident occurred on October 25 when a Mercedes-Benz car driven by the 17-year-old collided with a scooter, killing Jayabalakrishnan, who ran a roadside eatery.