Kochi: Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday visited the family of Jayabalakrishnan, who was killed after a Mercedes-Benz car allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy rammed into his scooter at Cheranelloor near Kochi, and assured them of the government’s full support in their fight for justice.
During the meeting, the family handed over a complaint alleging that the father of the accused teenager, an Additional District Judge, had attempted to destroy crucial evidence after the accident.
The Chief Minister visited the bereaved family at their residence, consoled them and offered all possible assistance.
He assured them that the government would stand with them throughout the legal battle and also reviewed the progress of the case.
The family alleged that the judge and his family had reached the accident spot in another vehicle soon after the crash and that CCTV footage from the neighbourhood would establish this.
They claimed that the judge’s early arrival was intended to destroy evidence.
Jayabalakrishnan’s daughter, Bhadrakeerthi, later told the media that the family had shared its concerns and the difficulties it faced in pursuing the case.
She also said that Advocate Sreejith would continue to represent the family and that they would decide on their future course of action after the court’s decision.
Meanwhile, an Ernakulam sessions court on Friday took exception to the disclosure of the minor accused’s identity in two petitions seeking cancellation of his bail, one filed by the state government and the other by the victim’s family.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Kavitha Gangadharan said revealing the full name and residential address of a child in conflict with law violated the Juvenile Justice Act.
The court said it was also duty-bound to protect the minor’s identity and directed both sides to correct the cause titles by replacing his name with an anonymised designation.
The court ordered the prosecution and the family’s counsel to ensure that no identifying details of the teenager were disclosed in the proceedings.
The matter will be heard again on Saturday.
The teenager had earlier been granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board. Investigators are meanwhile trying to retrieve deleted data from his mobile phone, which has been sent for forensic examination.
The police suspect that information from his social media accounts, including Instagram, was deleted.
The investigation has found that the Mercedes was travelling at over 104 kmph when the accident occurred.
Police have also registered a case against the judge, the registered owner of the vehicle, under the Motor Vehicles Act for allegedly allowing his minor son to drive.
Incidentally, the Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed the arrest of the Additional District Judge who was booked as the second accused in the case.
(IANS)
