Cheranalloor crash: Kerala HC grants anticipatory bail to judge whose minor son allegedly drove luxury car

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (November 5, 2026) granted anticipatory bail to an Additional Judge whose minor son allegedly rammed a luxury car owned by the judge into the rear of a scooter, resulting in the death of a 55-year-old man at Cheranalloor in Kochi on October 25. The judge was earlier booked as the registered owner of the car.

During the hearing, Justice Kauser Edappagath observed that the Additional Judge, who was interrogated by the police for six hours, has all along cooperated with the probe. “Moreover, his house was searched. What more evidence do you need to collect now? The High Court could be approached the moment you feel that he is not cooperating,” the court said. It also asked why the parties who opposed the anticipatory bail plea doubted whether the judge would not cooperate with the probe.

“Why arrest him and interrogate if he’s already cooperating with the probe. He is under the supervision of the High Court,” the court added.

The counsel for the Additional Judge said the minor boy took the car without his father’s knowledge.

The High Court had a week ago granted interim protection from arrest to the accused Additional Judge, while orally remarking that the court could not succumb to public opinion, since “the law has to be strictly followed.”

The court held then that since he was a serving judicial officer, there was “no question” that he would abscond or evade the process of law.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.