THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police, which were initially hesitant to register a case against Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran on the complaint of KSRTC driver Yadhu, on Monday night registered a case against the Mayor and her husband Sachin Dev MLA following the court order. The police registered the case at around 9 pm on Monday.

The court ordered the police to register a case against Mayor Arya Rajendran, her husband KM Sachin Dev MLA, the Mayor's brother Aravind, Aravind's wife Arya and an identifiable youth on the complaint of Nemom native Yadhu. It was Judicial First Class Magistrate Abhinimol S Rajendran who ordered the Cantonment Police to register a case against the Mayor.

The other day, the Cantonment Police had booked the Mayor and family on the order issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, who considered the plea filed by High Court Advocate Baiju Noel. However, on Monday, the police registered a second case against the Mayor and family, invoking non-bailable charges based on a complaint by Yadhu.

The police have invoked various sections, including 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 447 (criminal trespass), 341 (wrongful restraint), 294 B (uttering obscene words), and 201 (tampering with evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. According to the FIR, the accused had blocked the public transport, abused the driver and the passengers, and destroyed the memory card of the CCTV installed inside the bus.

The police had registered the first case by slapping minor charges against the Mayor such as obstructing the bus and causing public nuisance. The police were forced to register the second case at a time when it was devising strategies such as examining Yadhu's phone instead of conducting a proper investigation regarding the memory card that went missing from the bus.

Demands raised in petition
Before the bus left the Thrissur depot in the afternoon on April 27, the CCTV cameras within were checked and confirmed to be operational. This memory card has gone missing.

The main demands raised by Yadhu in his petition are:
1. Seize the CCTV footage of the University College Junction,

2. Retrieve the video shot by a passenger of the bus which was deleted following the threat by the MLA

3. Seize the Mayor's personal vehicle.