Despite initial reluctance from the police to register a case against the CPM’s prominent couple, Mayor Arya Rajendran and MLA husband Sachin Dev, following a complaint from Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) driver Yedu, the judiciary’s intervention led to the registration of a non-bailable case against the couple, ensuring justice for Yedu where the police failed to deliver.
KSRTC driver Yedu filed a petition before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Thiruvananthapuram, listing several grievances against the Mayor and the MLA, including allegations that they abused their influence to destroy CCTV footage, obstructed his official duties by blocking the bus, verbally abused him, and insulted both him and the passengers.
The allegations mentioned above are reportedly documented in the First Information Report (FIR), which lists five individuals as the accused, including the Mayor’s brother, Aravind alias Nandu, Aravind’s wife, Arya, and an identifiable young man.
In his petition, Yedu requested the retrieval of footage captured by cameras at the University College Junction and from a bus passenger’s mobile camera. The footage allegedly contained scenes that were deleted under pressure from the Mayor and MLA.
It is to be noted that the Police registered a case against Yedu based on a complaint filed by the Mayor alleging sexually suggestive gestures. However, the police did not register a case when Yedu lodged his complaint, so he moved the court.
The latest development is a hard blow not only for the VIP couple, which consists of the Mayor and her MLA husband, but also to the CPM-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) regime in general and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in particular. Even though the people of the entire State denounced and lambasted the VIP couple for the highhandedness they showed, CPM brass had come out to justify the VIPs. DYFI president A.A. Rahim MP (RS) justified Sachindev MLA’s performance in boarding the KSRTC bus. Yedu had alleged that MLA boarded the bus and asked the passengers to alight from the bus. However, the Mayor rejected the allegation. Rahim said that Sachindev had boarded the bus and asked the conductor for the ticket to travel up to the bus station. In another words, Rahim conceded that MLA boarded the bus. Rahim’s conceding act is a setback to the VIP couple. There are allegations that Sachindev challenged their right to travel the distance they had paid for by asking the passengers to alight from the bus.
Police have reportedly charged various IPC sections, including 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 447 (criminal trespass), 341 (wrongful restraint), 294B (uttering obscene words) and 201 (tampering with evidence). Reports suggest, police will take further action, including arrest, after recording Yedu’s statements.
