Kerala High Court Grants Bail to Judge in Mercedes Crash Case
The Kerala High Court on 29 October ordered that the Additional District and Sessions Judge, who had been charged as the owner of a Mercedes-Benz involved in a fatal hit-and-run, be released from arrest pending further investigation, directing police not to detain him. The incident began on 23 October when the judge’s 17-year-old son was arrested for driving the Mercedes at high speed and striking a street vendor, killing the 55-year-old motorcyclist Jayabalakrishnan.
The juvenile was granted bail by the Ernakulam Juvenile Justice Board, and the judge was subsequently booked under the Motor Vehicles Act. In the following days, four police officers were suspended, the judge’s home was searched, and Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar was transferred to another posting, with R Nishanthini taking over the investigation.
