Kerala High Court grants bail to four accused in Nedumbassery car crash case
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The Kerala High Court has granted bail to all four accused in the Nedumbassery car crash case that killed three young people on October 11.
However, the court directed that the release of the prime accused, Suhail Sajeev, be deferred by 10 days.
Justice Kauser Edappagath passed the order on the bail petitions filed by Sajeev, Ninav, Joyal Anto and Ameen Shah. While the three co-accused will be released immediately, Sajeev, 19, will remain in custody for another 10 days.
The court noted the strong public sentiment surrounding the case but said decisions must be based on law and legal procedures rather than public opinion.
During the hearing, the court described the Nedumbassery accident as unfortunate and asked whether all evidence had been collected. The prosecution said the investigation was ongoing and could be completed within two weeks.
The defence argued that all four accused were 19-year-old students whose education had been affected by their prolonged judicial custody. The prosecution opposed the bail pleas, pointing out that the three victims were also young people from poor families.
Two women and a man, all around 21 years old, were killed when a speeding Mini Cooper rammed into their scooter at Nedumbassery in the early hours of October 11.
The case drew widespread attention following reports of remarks made by Sajeev after the accident. He reportedly told the police, "What are roads meant for? Driving, right?" He also claimed that his father would take care of the matter.
Meanwhile, BMW, the manufacturer of the Mini Cooper, has confirmed that the car was travelling at around 162 kmph five seconds before the crash, police said on Thursday.
According to the vehicle's Advanced Crash Safety Module (ACSM) data, the driver applied the brakes around one second before the collision, when the car was travelling at 144 kmph.
Police said the technical findings supported CCTV footage showing the car covering 500 metres in just 11 seconds. Investigators described the BMW report as crucial scientific evidence in the case.