‘Public Sentiment Can’t Dictate Bail’: Kerala HC Grants Bail To 4 Accused In Mini Cooper Crash That Killed 3

The Kerala High Court on Friday (November 6) granted regular bail to all four accused in the October 11 Mini Cooper accident near Kochi that claimed the lives of three young people. However, the court directed that the prime accused, Suhail Sajeev, who allegedly drove the luxury car under the influence of alcohol, can be released only after 10 days.

The other three accused, Ninav, Ameen Shah and Joyal S. Anto, have been granted bail without any such restriction. Justice Kauser Edappagath heard arguments from Senior Advocate Raman B. Pillai, Advocate Saiby Jose Kidangoor, Director General of Prosecution T.

Asaf Ali and the lawyer representing the father of one of the victims. “I'll dispose of the bail applications. I'll dispose of the case but order release of the first accused after 10 days...Others, I'll grant bail.

Others, no offence is attracted,” the judge orally observed, as per on Live Law. The court took note of the fact that the accused had spent nearly a month in custody and had undergone police custody for three days on two separate occasions.

It also observed that they had no criminal antecedents, their driving licences had been suspended and the investigation had been completed. The accident took place in the early hours of October 11 on the Airport-Athani road near Nedumbassery.

A Mini Cooper allegedly driven by Sajeev rammed into a scooter carrying Eyas, Devika and Gopika. All three victims, two women and a man aged around 21, died in the collision after the speeding luxury car hit their two-wheeler.

The prosecution has invoked Sections 281, 105, 49 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against the accused. Sajeev and Ninav, the first and second accused, were arrested on October 11 and remanded to judicial custody.

Joyal and Ameen were arrested the following day. Seeking bail, the defence lawyers argued that all four accused were 19-year-old students whose education had been affected by their prolonged incarceration. The prosecution opposed their release, highlighting that the three victims were also young people from economically disadvantaged families and were their families' hopes.

Separately, a technical inspection by BMW, the manufacturer of the Mini Cooper, found that the vehicle was travelling at approximately 162 kmph five seconds before the collision, police said on Thursday. The crash data analysis further revealed that the driver applied the brakes around one second before impact, when the car was moving at 144 kmph.

Police said the technical findings corroborated their assessment based on CCTV footage that the vehicle was overspeeding. Investigators had earlier established through CCTV visuals that the luxury car covered a distance of 500 metres in just 11 seconds.

The findings were also supported by data retrieved from the vehicle's Advanced Crash Safety Module (ACSM), according to the police statement. Bharathi SP is a journalist and Associate Producer at ABP Live English, chasing breaking news and digging up untold stories, mostly from South India.

With over 7 years of experience in the news industry, she's worked across both print and digital platforms, wearing many hats: sub-editor, senior reporter, and, now, producer. An alumna of ACJ and IGNOU, Bharathi focuses on politics, inclusive development and stories that connect the states with the nation.

She has a soft spot for long-form narratives, sharp angles and all things political. For any tips and queries, you can reach out to her at bharathi@abpnetwork.com.