A Kerala court has rejected the bail pleas of four accused in the Kochi Mini Cooper crash that killed three young people, allowing the police investigation into the fatal collision on the airport road near Nedumbassery to continue in custody.
Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Samyuktha M K dismissed the pleas filed by Suhail, Ninav, Ameer and Joel on Saturday, according to prosecution sources cited by Times of India. The detailed order was awaited.
The crash occurred in the early hours of October 11 when a Mini Cooper allegedly driven by 19-year-old Suhail rammed into a scooter carrying three young people on the airport road. The victims, including two women, were around 21 years old, the report said.
Police invoked additional charges after a medical examination reportedly found Suhail’s blood alcohol level at around five times the permissible limit. During the bail hearing, the prosecution relied on witness statements and CCTV footage. It also told the court that blood and urine tests indicated that the accused was heavily intoxicated.
The prosecution argued that the investigation was at a crucial stage and that the two days the accused had spent in police custody were insufficient for the probe. It further claimed that the accused came from influential families and that their release could hamper the investigation. These arguments were opposed by the defence, which maintained that the victims had violated traffic rules by travelling on a scooter.
Suhail’s lawyer also argued that there was no direct eyewitness to the crash and challenged the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The defence disputed the claim that the car was travelling at high speed and accused the police of sensationalising the incident.
The investigation is also examining the physical and technical conditions at the crash site. Police, officials from the Motor Vehicles Department and Cochin International Airport Ltd inspected the location again on Saturday to assess the car’s speed and examine technical aspects of the road, police sources said.
The case places evidence collection at the centre of the next stage of the proceedings. CCTV footage, witness accounts, medical test results and the technical assessment of the vehicle and road will be relevant to determining how the collision occurred and which charges can be sustained.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government and the Home Department were taking steps to ensure that the accused received the maximum punishment. “All steps are being taken to ensure this. There will be no situation in which the accused can escape the law. Three young lives have been lost, and we cannot take this incident lightly,” he said.
The court’s detailed bail order and the findings from the continuing police and technical investigation are the next formal developments in the case.
