A minor driving a Mercedes-Benz collided with a scooter, resulting in the death of a 55-year-old man (L).
KOCHI: Police took the 17-year-old son of an additional sessions judge into custody again after protests by the family of a man killed when Mercedes-Benz allegedly driven by the minor rammed into his scooter in Cheranelloor, Kochi, in the early hours of Sunday. Police had initially registered a case of causing death by negligence and released the boy on bail from the police station. As the agitation intensified and more people gathered in support of the family, senior police officers intervened.
Police subsequently reached the judge’s residence, took the boy into custody and produced him before the board late at night.
However, following protests by the victim’s family and a preliminary investigation indicating that the car was being driven at high speed, police invoked Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The victim’s family also demanded that a case be registered against the judge for allegedly allowing his minor son to drive the car. Jayalakshmi, a relative of the victim, described the accident scene as horrifying, pointing to the damage to the vehicles and the distance at which the victim’s footwear and helmet were found.
Police said they had sought legal opinion on whether the judge could be arraigned in the case and would take a decision on Monday.
Both vehicles were travelling towards Kalamassery, and a preliminary investigation indicated that the Mercedes hit the scooter from behind. The car is registered in the judge’s name.
