Kochi City Police Commissioner removed amid Cheranalloor luxury car crash probe involving judge’s minor son

Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar | Photo Credit: PTI The Keralam government continued its crackdown on the alleged police mishandling of the Cheranalloor car crash case, in which a 55-year-old man was killed by a speeding luxury car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old son of an additional judge, by removing Inspector General of Police (IGP) S. Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar as the District Police Chief (Kochi City) on Wednesday (October 28, 2026).Mr. Kumar is likely to be replaced by R. Nishanthini, who is currently serving as IGP (South Zone). Mr. Kumar is yet to be assigned a new posting.The move comes a day after the government suspended four police officers attached to the Cheranalloor police station – Sub-Inspector and Station House Officer Viswajith V.S., Circle Inspector Syam Kumar K.S., Grade Assistant Sub-Inspector Manoj K.T., and Senior Civil Police Officer Arun Joshy – based on a report submitted by ADGP P. Vijayan.Mr. Vijayan visited the Cheranalloor police station on Tuesday (October 27, 2026) and held a high-level meeting attended by senior officers, including Mr. Kumar, as directed by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. He also visited the victim’s family and the accident site.Reportedly, Mr. Chennithala was unhappy with the manner in which the City Police handled the case, particularly the invocation of relatively minor charges against the teenage accused, a sentiment he is understood to have conveyed to Mr. Kumar on Sunday itself. He had also conceded on the floor of the State Assembly the lapses on the part of the police in handling the case.There were also allegations that the police officers were rude to the victim’s family and delayed action against the judge, the father of the accused teenager.Police search judge’s flatMeanwhile, the police carried out an overnight search operation at the judge’s apartment in Aluva, which continued till Wednesday morning. Reportedly, the police collected CCTV footage from the apartment and seized documents relating to the luxury car involved in the accident as well as a premium motorcycle. CCTV footage purportedly showing the luxury car being driven out of the apartment had been widely circulated on social media.The judge’s reported visit to the police station, which has been described as unauthorised, has also attracted criticism.The arrest of the father-son duo, the suspension of the judge, and action against police officers allegedly at fault were the three principal demands raised by the victim’s son and daughter, who staged a protest in front of the Cheranalloor police station for several hours on Monday (October 26, 2026), before calling it off following assurances from Mr. Chennithala.The teenager 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 under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deal 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.Jayabalakrishnan, 55, of Chittur, Cheranalloor, was returning after closing his eatery at Chittur when he was mowed down by the speeding car at Maraparambu on Container Road in Cheranalloor around 2.20 a.m. on Sunday. According to the FIR, the teenager was travelling alone in the car from Vallarpadam towards Kalamassery when it struck the scooter, which was proceeding in the same direction. Published - October 28, 2026 11:47 am IST