Kochi Merc Crash: In-camera Hearings To Be Held On Appeals Against Bail Granted To Minor Accused
The 17-year-old accused, the son of an additional district judge, was driving a Mercedes-Benz when he hit a two-wheeler in Kochi’s Cheranalloor in the early hours of October 25, killing scooterist Jayablakrishnan, who owned a roadside eatery
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In-camera hearings will be held for appeals against the bail granted to the minor accused in connection with the Kochi Mercedes car crash that killed a scooterist.
The Sessions Court decided to conduct the hearings in camera. Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, prohibits disclosing the identity of a child in conflict with the law (CCL) except with permission from the competent authority.
The 17-year-old accused, the son of an additional district judge, was driving a Mercedes-Benz when he hit a two-wheeler in Kochi’s Cheranalloor in the early hours of October 25, killing scooterist Jayablakrishnan, who owned a roadside eatery
The court directed the cyber police to take action against all posts revealing the teenager’s identity. When the appeals filed by the State and the victim’s family against the bail granted to the minor were heard on Monday, the Court decided to continue the hearing in-camera to further protect the privacy of the Child in Conflict with the Law (CCL).
The accused teenager was initially charged with rash driving and causing death by negligence under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 BS. The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) granted the accused bail on October 26.
The victim’s family launched a massive protest seeking justice, prompting police to add more serious offenses punishable under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the BNS, along with Sections 181, 183, 199A(1), and 199A(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The FIR also named the teenager’s father, an additional district judge currently posted at the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur district, as a co-accused.
The Additional District and Sessions Court in Ernakulam, designated to handle cases involving atrocities against women and children, witnessed high drama during appeals to suspend the bail granted to the 17-year-old accused in the Mercedes crash, with the prosecution and the victim’s family counsel trading allegations during the hearing.