Kerala suspends four police officers and updates FIR in judge-related Mercedes crash case

The Kerala government said it will take corrective action after acknowledging lapses in the probe of a Mercedes-Benz crash that killed 55-year-old Jayabalakrishnan. Following directions from Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, four police personnel – Circle Inspector Shyam Kumar KS, Sub-Inspector Vishwajith, Grade Sub-Inspector Manoj KT and Civil Police Officer Arun Joshi – have been suspended and the first-information report (FIR) was amended to include Section 199A, bringing the judge who owned the car into the case.

The authorities have instructed police to approach the sessions court to seek cancellation of the bail granted to the judge’s 17-year-old son, who was driving the Mercedes at the time of the collision. The minister reiterated that the judge will not receive preferential treatment and criticized the rapid granting of bail to the minor.

The family of the victim has alleged that police actions favored the judge and his son, including the early production of the minor before a magistrate and the removal of a board linking the vehicle to the judiciary. The ADGP of Law and Order, P. Vijayan, visited Kochi to review the concerns raised by the family, and the ADGP confirmed that a photograph of the minor was deleted from a phone on the judge’s direction.

The victim’s daughter has requested CCTV footage from inside the Cheranellore police station to determine whether officers assisted the accused. A source indicated that the suspension followed after police removed the vehicle-ownership board and prematurely dismissed the possibility of alcohol involvement by the minor.