00:00This hit and run in Kochi has triggered widespread nationwide outrage and rightly so.
00:06The father of the accused, the accused was a minor, the father, an additional district judge,
00:11the car, the Mercedes involved in the crash was in his name.
00:15And so he was the one who was named in the case.
00:17He secured interim protection now from arrest from the Kerala High Court.
00:20The Kerala government, as you just heard from Mr. Ramesh Chanitala,
00:24did everything they could to step in and ensure that if any protection was granted by the police,
00:29that was immediately taken away and that all necessary steps were taken.
00:34The Kerala High Court, however, has granted him protection ultimately.
00:37The victim's family is questioning the handling of this case.
00:40Serious questions are being asked over accountability and whether, like I said, the law is truly equal for all.
00:51A 17-year-old drives a car and runs over a scooter is killing him on the spot.
00:58The suspect gets bail within an hour.
01:01His father, a lower court judge, gets anticipatory bail.
01:07The hit and run which took place in Kochi on Sunday raises serious questions
01:12about whether the powerful are treated differently by the law.
01:19It was at around 2 a.m. on Sunday that the teenager allegedly took his father's Mercedes out for a
01:25drive.
01:25Just a few blocks from his home, the car ramped 55-year-old Jayabalakrishnan's scooter from behind.
01:33Jayabalakrishnan died on the spot.
01:35But the teenager allegedly did not stop.
01:38He drove away from the accident site.
01:40The Mercedes was later found stalled around a kilometre away.
01:45Police say the teenager was not under the influence of alcohol but was driving at high speed.
01:50And then came the first major controversy.
01:54The teenager was granted bail within an hour at the police station.
01:58Following protests by the victim's family, the police added a culpable homicide charge.
02:03Police presented him before the Juvenile Justice Board on Monday but he again got bail, triggering outrage over the handling
02:11of the case.
02:12While the police have challenged the board's decision, hearing on that is scheduled for Friday.
02:21A case was also registered against the suspect's father, who is an additional district judge, who was questioned by the
02:29crime branch.
02:29The judge has maintained that he had no knowledge that his 17-year-old son had taken the vehicle.
02:36He claims he learnt about the accident only after receiving a phone call.
02:40And now the Kerala High Court has granted him interim protection from arrest.
02:47While considering his anticipatory bail plea, the High Court observed that the applicant is a serving district and sessions judge
02:54and that there is no reason to believe he would abscond or evade the legal process.
02:59The court ordered that he shall not be arrested until further orders.
03:04It also directed him to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the investigating officer whenever required.
03:11The court further made it clear that his interrogation must be conducted in accordance with the law and the Supreme
03:17Court's guidelines.
03:22The High Court's interim order has left the victim's family disappointed.
03:27For them, the fight for justice is far from over.
03:32It was very disappointed after hearing.
03:35Still, we respect the High Court decision.
03:38So we'll be moving forward with the legally.
03:41The court found that he's a sitting district judge.
03:44And there is no possibility.
03:45He's under the control of the High Court.
03:47So there is no chance for absconding, tampering evidence or influence the witnesses, etc.
03:53Hence the court granted interim bail.
03:55With the judge getting relief and the family saying that they have not got justice,
04:01all eyes will now be on the appeal filed by the government against the decision of the Juvenile Justice Board
04:06in granting bail to the minor which will come up tomorrow.
04:09And the family here hopes that punishment will be given to this minor involved in the case
04:14and this bail that was granted earlier will be cancelled.
04:18With video journalist, Tinko Rajshreega, Shubhi Volkeji, for India, today from Tiruantabara.
