Bail petition follows police questioning
The October 25 crash in Cheranalloor, Kochi, killed 55-year-old Jayabalakrishnan when the Mercedes hit his scooter. The judge has reportedly maintained that he was unaware his son had taken the vehicle and found out about the crash through a phone call afterward.
Mathrubhumi reported that the judge's anticipatory bail petition was scheduled for consideration on Thursday, October 29, 2026, by Kerala High Court Justice Kauser Edappagath.
Police questioned the judge for about three hours at the Aluva Police Club on Wednesday, October 28, and summoned him to return Thursday, according to Free Press Journal (IANS) and Mathrubhumi. Investigators have also searched his home, seizing digital devices and other items.
Vehicle ownership and the charges
The judge serves as an Additional District and Sessions Judge in Irinjalakuda, in Thrissur district. Police told NDTV that he was named as an accused under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act as the Mercedes' registered owner.
According to The News Minute, the case against him invokes Sections 199A(1) and 199A(2). The first holds a guardian or vehicle owner guilty of a juvenile's offense under the Act; the second provides for criminal penalties, including up to three years in prison and a fine of Rs 25,000.
Separately, the Motor Vehicles Department has issued the judge a show-cause notice requiring him, as the car's registered owner, to explain within seven days why the minor was driving it. Mathrubhumi reported that an unsatisfactory explanation could lead to further action, including suspension of the car's registration.
Police seek to revoke the teenager's bail
NDTV reported that the teenager was initially booked under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), covering rash driving and causing death by negligence, and was released on station bail. After protests by Jayabalakrishnan's family, police apprehended him again and added Section 105, the non-bailable offense of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. He was then brought before the Juvenile Justice Board.
The board in Ernakulam granted the teenager bail on Monday, October 26, according to The News Minute. Police subsequently sought cancellation of that bail. Mathrubhumi reported that the hearing on their application had been postponed to Friday.
In that application, police alleged that the teenager had previously driven at high speeds while filming social media reels and that the car was traveling at 104 km/h when the crash occurred, according to Mathrubhumi.
High Court awaits investigation report
The Kerala High Court has held off on an immediate decision about departmental action against the judge while allowing the Crime Branch investigation to continue. Mathrubhumi reported that a five-member Administrative Committee led by Chief Justice Soumen Sen is considering whether to suspend him. It is awaiting the police report because it remains unclear whether the son took the car with his father's permission.
Free Press Journal (IANS) also reported that four officers from the local police station that registered the case were suspended on Wednesday, October 28. The Kochi City Police Commissioner was transferred out the same day.
