The Keralam police have filed a case against a District Judge after a Mercedes-Benz car registered in his name and driven by his 17-year-old son crashed into a scooter and killed its rider earlier this week. The incident sparked widespread outrage and allegations of an attempt to shield the accused.Responding to a notice on the matter in the state assembly on Tuesday, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said a case had already been registered against the judge, in whose name the luxury car driven by the teenager was registered."They (police) have informed the High Court about the case registered.
The High Court has to take action against the judge. The government has no role in it," the Minister said.According to High Court sources, a committee has to meet and decide on the judge's suspension and further action.
The Home Minister also acknowledged lapses by the police and said the Juvenile Justice Board should not have granted bail to the minor driver.Jayabalakrishnan, a 55-year-old man who ran a roadside eatery, died after his scooter was hit from behind by the Mercedes-Benz driven by the judge's 17-year-old son. Though the teenager was initially detained, he was released on station bail after being booked under negligence charges.
Following public outrage, he was detained again and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which also granted him bail."I am saying this here. I have the protection of the House, that the Juvenile Justice Board should not have granted bail," the Minister said.He added, "I called the DGP and said that a poor man was returning home after work, with the food items he had bought to take home lying there, and still only bailable sections were invoked.
If the police do wrong, the government has no liability to protect them."Chennithala told the assembly that he had directed the police to initiate proceedings to cancel the bail.Meanwhile, the police on Monday named the Additional District and Sessions Judge as an accused in the case under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, which holds a juvenile's guardian or the registered owner of the vehicle liable for an offence committed by a minor under the Act.Police said that, considering the sensitive nature of the case, the probe had been transferred to the District Crime Branch.The action against the judge came after the Kerala High Court on Monday granted permission to the police to arraign him as an accused.The police initially registered a case under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (causing death by negligence) and released the teenager on station bail on Sunday evening.Following protests by the victim's family outside the Cheranalloor police station, the teenager was detained again and booked under Section 105 of the BNS (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).He was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which granted him bail.In a video recovered from the teenager, the vehicle is seen travelling at around 104 kmph, police said.The victim's family staged a protest outside the Cheranalloor police station, demanding action against police personnel who had initially registered a case under a lesser charge against the teenager.Jayabalakrishnan's son, Barathsankar, told reporters that the family would continue its protest until action was taken against the judge and the Juvenile Justice Board that granted bail to the teenager.- Ends