Kerala High Court Grants Judge Anticipatory Bail

The Kerala High Court granted anticipatory bail on November 5 to a judge accused in connection with a fatal Cheranalloor crash involving his 17-year-old son, finding that custodial interrogation was not necessary. The ruling concerns the judge’s arrest and does not decide whether he knew his son had taken the car or permitted him to drive it. The prosecution alleges that the teenager took his father’s Mercedes-Benz without permission and struck and killed Jayabalakrishnan, 55, who was riding a scooter. The crash occurred on October 25 in Cheranalloor, Kochi. The teenager is accused of driving without a licence; the judge was named as an accused because he was the vehicle’s registered owner and guardian. The High Court said the judge had cooperated with investigators and was unlikely to evade the legal process. It recorded that he had undergone about six hours of questioning and that his lawyer had offered further cooperation. The judge told the court he did not know his son had taken the vehicle and learned of the crash after receiving a phone call. That account remains his contention, not a finding by the court. The court said the prosecution could seek cancellation of bail...