Kerala Home minister Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Monday admitted to lapses in the initial police response to the fatal accident. He assured that strong action would be taken and no one be spared from punishment.
Replying to submission by Leader of Opposition (LOP) Pinarayi Vijayan in the Assembly on Monday morning, Home Minster said the initial handling of the case by the Cheranallor police was inadequate. Chennithala said he had directed top police officials to review the investigation and ensure that the appropriate legal provisions were invoked. The minister also said steps had been directed to seek cancellation of the juvenile’s bail and that the vehicle’s registered owner, identified as the minor boy’s father, could face legal action if warranted by the investigation.
Emphasising that the law must apply equally to all, the Home Minister said the government viewed the incident seriously and would not allow anyone to evade accountability because of their position or social standing.
“Justice is the same for everyone. There is no distinction between the rich and the poor,” Chennithala said, assuring the Assembly that the investigation would proceed fairly.
Earlier in a media interaction, the daughter of the deceased vendor claimed accused’s father was saving him.
“Whether he is 75 or 35, a criminal is always a criminal. If his father is saving him, then the father will go to jail. That is the only way,” she said.
Bhadrakeerthi, the daughter of 55-year-old street food vendor Jaya Balakrishnan, who died after a 17-year-old allegedly driving at 104 kmph rammed his scooter with his Mercedes-Benz around 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, said this during a media interaction.
“My cousin was taking care of all police procedure. The father of that culprit was very rude and very arrogant towards us. He was saying, ‘Don’t question me. You have no right to question me. You don’t teach me law. I know everything. If you want to question, just question the police. You don’t talk to me like that.’ His son killed my father and he is supporting his son. What is this?” she added.
She further claimed that the police were afraid because the accused’s father is a judge, while they were commoners.
“They were very afraid to take any action against the culprit and his father, the so-called judge. We are commoners, they can do anything to us. That’s what happened,” she said, narrating what happened.
The accused, son of an additional district sessions judge, secured bail twice in rapid succession. First, at the police station after his father arrived 45 minutes following the crash, and later before a magistrate following the family’s late-night protest.
The father, in whose name the Mercedes is registered, claimed that his son was driving for the first time. However, Bhadrakeerthi, the victim’s daughter, refuted the claims. She mentioned having evidence that he had driven before.
An independent check of the teenager’s social media accounts, along with information from police sources, contradicted the claim of the accused’s father. Prior to the crash, the minor was operating a public Instagram handle with over 2,500 followers, where he regularly posted driving reels.
Sources said that several videos showed him clocking 200 kilometers per hour in the same Mercedes-Benz. As with the Sunday morning crash, all posts were deleted and the Instagram account was shifted to private.