Kerala judge's son kills scooter rider in crash, father seeks bail

A 17-year-old boy, the son of an Additional District Judge, was driving his father's Mercedes-Benz when he hit a two-wheeler in Kochi's Cheranalloor area between 2 am and 3 am on October 25. The scooter rider, 55-year-old Jayabalakrishnan, was returning home from his family-run eatery near the Sree Krishnaswamy Temple in Chittoor. He died in the crash.

The accident happened just two weeks after a 19-year-old student allegedly drove a Mini Cooper into a scooter under the influence, killing three young friends. Both incidents occurred in the early hours and triggered public anger over high-end cars and minors.

“Attributing knowledge under Section 105 BNS vicariously to a parent who was sleeping at home when a minor took a vehicle surreptitiously is legally untenable and fundamentally opposed to settled principles of criminal law.”

The judge, posted at a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Iranjalakuda, Thrissur district, has been named an accused in the police FIR. The FIR includes Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 181, 183, 199A(1), and 199A(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

The judge moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail, claiming he had no knowledge that the vehicle had been taken from the premises. He said he learned of the crash only after a phone call woke him. His plea argues that attributing knowledge to a sleeping parent is legally untenable.

The Juvenile Justice Board in Ernakulam granted bail to the minor on October 26. The state's plea to cancel that bail is pending before a sessions court. Meanwhile, the deceased man's family filed a complaint with the Kerala High Court Chief Justice seeking an enquiry into the judge's conduct.