Kerala High Court bars arrest of judge in fatal crash case

The Kerala High Court on October 29 ordered that an additional district judge accused in a fatal crash involving a car driven by his 17-year-old son must not be arrested until further orders. The court also directed the judge to cooperate with police questioning as the investigation continues. The crash occurred in Cheranalloor, Kochi, on October 25. The Mercedes-Benz, registered in the judge’s name, allegedly struck a scooter ridden by Jayabalakrishnan, a 55-year-old roadside eatery owner, who died. The teenager has been accused in connection with the collision, and his father was also named as an accused. In his anticipatory-bail petition, the judge said he was asleep when his son took the car and that he learned of the crash from a telephone call. He argued that vehicle ownership and his relationship to the teenager did not by themselves establish criminal liability. Those statements are claims made in the petition; the investigation has not established whether the judge knew his son had taken the vehicle. The High Court directed the judge to appear before investigators at 1 p.m. on October 29 and to attend again if summoned. The court’s order protects him from arrest for...