A Kerala court on Friday, October 30, directed the State government to remove the identifying details of the 17-year-old accused from its plea seeking cancellation of the minor’s bail in the Kochi Mercedes-Benz crash case. The court said the disclosure violated provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.
Additional District Judge Kavitha Gangadharan noted that the State’s plea and a petition filed by Jayabalakrishnan’s wife, seeking to implead herself in the proceedings, both contained the name and details of the minor, referred to as a Child in Conflict with Law (CCL).
The court said this violated Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which prohibits disclosure of the identity or other particulars that could lead to the identification of a child in conflict with law, a child in need of care and protection, or a child victim or witness of a crime.
The judge also pointed out that the State had not filed its plea as a criminal appeal, as required under Section 101 of the Act. Other family members of the victim informed the court that they had filed a separate appeal seeking cancellation of the bail granted to the minor.
The court has scheduled the matter for Saturday, October 31, when it will hear the appeals after the necessary corrections are made to remove the minor’s identifying details.
The 17-year-old was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Ernakulam, on Monday, following which the State moved for cancellation of bail on the same day.
According to the FIR registered by Cheranalloor Police, a Mercedes-Benz hit a scooter ridden by Jayabalakrishnan, a 55-year-old street food vendor, at around 2 am on Sunday, October 25, while he was returning home from work. The allegation is that the minor was driving the car at the time of the accident.
