Cheranalloor luxury car accident: Court upholds bail of juvenile, rapes police and prosecution

Car Involved in Fatal Accident at Cheranalloor in Kochi (File) | Photo credit: THULASI KAKKAT

An additional district and sessions court earmarked for hearing cases involving atrocities on women and children in Ernakulam, Keralam, on Thursday (November 5, 2026) dismissed an appeal seeking suspension of the bail granted to a 17-year-old man involved in the Cheranalloor road accident case that claimed life, coming down hard on the police and the prosecution.

Justice Kavitha Gangadharan questioned the very basis for registering an FIR against the teenager against the law, pointing out that such registration is only warranted for offenses punishable with imprisonment of seven years or more. The multiple changes made in the FIR have also drawn criticism. Police have been accused of failing to respect the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, with the court questioning the absence of a social background report ordered in cases involving minors. The court even read the relevant provisions of the Act to the investigating officer, the Deputy Commissioner of the Criminal Division.

The court noted that the police are not expected to act above the law or under duress. The judge also asked the prosecution to state a reason for not imposing a fine when the appeal was rejected.

Earlier, the court directed the investigating officer to submit within an hour details of FIRs registered in the district or elsewhere in the state in connection with accidents involving juvenile drivers in which Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which prescribes punishment for manslaughter not amounting to murder, was invoked.

The court sought the data to attach to the appeal order filed by the prosecution and the family of the deceased against the bail granted to the juvenile by the Juvenile Justice Board. She warned that the investigating officer would be held responsible if FIRs were not registered elsewhere invoking Section 105 of the IPC in similar cases and if the provision was invoked only in this case. Although the police officer submitted details of nine cases of accidents involving minors in the district, Section 105 was not invoked in any of them.

The court also criticized the investigating agency for filing the bail appeal in the wrong court instead of the juvenile court, the only such court in the district. The judge also sought to know from the prosecution whether he had any doubts that the Model Rules of Juvenile Justice constituted the only state government framework governing matters involving children in conflict with the law.

The victim’s daughter expresses dismay

Bhadrakeerthi RJ, daughter of victim Jayabalakrishnan, expressed dismay at the verdict, which she said she “didn’t understand”.

“It was dramatic and full of twists and turns. The people of Kerala will no longer trust the courts. We expected a favorable verdict from both this court and the High Court, (which granted anticipatory bail to the judicial officer, the father of the accused juvenile). Questions that were never raised till date were raised by the court. But we will continue our fight outside the court.”

Published – 05 Nov 2026 16:11 IST