Juvenile Justice Board grants bail to teen driver in fatal Cheranalloor car crash in Keralam

The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) has granted bail to the 17-year-old who allegedly caused the death of a man after the luxury car he was driving rammed into the victim’s scooter in the early hours of Sunday (October 25, 2026).

The Cheranalloor police produced the teenager before the JJB in the early hours of Monday (October 26, 2026). The absence of any previous criminal antecedents was among the grounds cited for granting him bail. The decision has not gone down well with protesters demanding his arrest who have also been seeking action against the boy’s father, a judicial officer and the registered owner of the car involved in the accident.

Also Read: Fatal luxury car crash: Keralam judge booked under MV Act as registered owner of vehicle driven by minor son

After initially releasing the teenager on station bail, the police took him into custody from his residence following intense protests staged by the victim’s family and various political and youth organisations outside the Cheranalloor police station late on Sunday night.

The deceased was identified as Jayabalakrishnan, 55, of Chittur, Cheranalloor. He was returning after closing his eatery at Chittur and succumbed to his injuries on the spot. The accident occurred around 2.20 a.m. near a car showroom at Maraparambu on Container Road in Cheranalloor. According to the FIR, the boy was travelling alone in the car from Vallarpadam towards Kalamassery when it hit the scooter, which was moving in the same direction.

The boy was not under the influence of alcohol, according to the preliminary medical examination, police said. This was the second road accident allegedly involving a teenage driver in Kochi within a fortnight.

The boy was initially released on bail from the police station under Section 8 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. A case was registered against the minor driver under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with rash driving and causing death by a rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide.

Later in the day, the police added Section 105 of the BNS, which prescribes punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, to the FIR. The section was added amid protests and criticism against the police for releasing the accused on station bail.

The accident occurred days after three youths were killed when an allegedly speeding luxury car driven by a 19-year-old crashed into the two-wheeler on which they were travelling near Nedumbassery.