KOCHI: The 17-year-old boy apprehended in connection with the death of a 55-year-old scooter rider in a car accident at Cheranalloor was granted bail by a member of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on early hours of Monday.
The teenager, who was allegedly driving a luxury car that rammed into the scooter, was granted bail citing the absence of previous criminal antecedents. He was apprehended by the Cheranalloor police following the accident in the early hours of Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Kochi City police have arraigned the boy’s father, an additional district judge, as an accused in the case. The judge, who is the registered owner of the car, has been booked under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, which provides for action against the guardian of a juvenile or the owner of a vehicle when an offence under the Act is committed by a minor.
“The necessary sections have been invoked, and we are proceeding in accordance with the Supreme Court’s guidelines concerning cases involving judges. The district judiciary and the High Court will also be informed as part of the process,” Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, Kochi City Police Commissioner said.
The move to book the judge came amid mounting demands from the victim’s family and political and youth organisations for action against him.
The police initially registered a case against the minor under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to rash driving and causing death by a rash or negligent act. The boy was subsequently released on station bail under Section 8 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Following protests and criticism over the police decision to release him on station bail, Section 105 of the BNS, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder was later added.
