Kochi police chief Kaliraj Mahesh was removed from his post following a controversy over the mishandling of a hit-and-run case. The 17-year-old son of an additional district judge drove a Mercedes that killed a 55-year-old man. R Nishanthini replaced the commissioner as many people demanded accountability for the police lapses.
New Delhi:
Kochi police chief Kaliraj Mahesh has been removed from his post following a controversy over alleged mishandling of a road accident case involving the 17-year-old son of an additional district judge.
He has been replaced by R Nishanthini.
The action against the Kochi City police commissioner comes amid mounting criticism over alleged police lapses in the case and demands for accountability. The minor son of the judge who drove a Mercedes-Benz had rammed a scooty, killing a 55-year-old man, Jayabalakrishnan.
Jayabalakrishnan's family has alleged a conspiracy to sabotage the case.
The teenager was a regular driver and had taken the car out late at night to shoot a social media reel showing him driving at high speed, the police have said.
The judge allegedly got the footage deleted from his son's phone. Investigators have also recovered footage from his mobile phone showing the car travelling at high speed shortly before the accident.
The damaged Mercedes which has been kept at a police station and the completely destroyed scooter that the street food vendor drove indicated the impact speed would have been very high.
The car was a 2012 turbo diesel model, fully automatic.
The case has drawn intense attention after the victim's family alleged attempts by the teenager's influential father to weaken the case.
The Kochi case has parallels with another case involving a minor in Pune in May 2024 when a 17-year-old boy at the wheel of a speeding Porsche hit a bike, killing a man and a woman.
In that case too the minor was out on bail in just 15 hours. The son of a prominent Pune realtor, the teen was granted bail after he was made to write an essay on accidents and advised to take treatment for his drinking habit.
Four other policemen were suspended yesterday after a senior officer went to the accident site, examined police records and met the victim's family. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had assured the assembly that action would be taken against officials found responsible.
The handling of the case triggered protests after the teenager was initially charged under provisions relating to rash driving and causing death by negligence, and later released on station bail.
The case was subsequently strengthened, and the boy's father, who owned the car, was also named as an accused. A police team went to the judge's flat last night for a search.
The victim's family has approached the high court and the probe has been handed over to the Crime Branch.