A Thiruvananthapuram court has issued notices to former Mayor Arya Rajendran and her husband Sachin Dev, Balusseri MLA, both leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), after KSRTC driver Yedu challenged the dropping of their names from the charge sheet in connection with an alleged road-blocking incident involving a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus in the capital city, the Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Court was informed.
The notice follows a petition filed by KSRTC driver Yedu, challenging the dropping of the names of Arya Rajendran and Sachin Dev from the charge sheet in the case.
The incident dates back to April 24, 2024, when Arya Rajendran was serving as the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram. It allegedly involved the couple’s private vehicle blocking a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus, leading to an altercation with the driver.
Immediately after the incident, Arya Rajendran filed a police complaint accusing driver Yedu of making obscene gestures towards her.
Subsequently, Yedu filed a petition objecting to the removal of Arya Rajendran and Sachin Dev from the charge sheet. He pointed out that only Rajendran’s brother, Aravind, was retained as an accused and sought the cancellation of that decision.
Yedu has also demanded that the bus conductor, Subin, who was on duty at the time of the incident, be included as an accused in the case.
According to the petition, the incident occurred at around 10 pm on April 27, 2024, near the Palayam Safallyam Complex in Thiruvananthapuram. Yedu alleged that the former Mayor and her husband blocked the KSRTC bus with their car and engaged in a heated argument with him.
Arya Rajendran had alleged that the bus nearly hit their car and that the driver made obscene gestures during the confrontation.
Yedu, a native of Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram, later filed a fresh petition demanding that all those involved be named as accused in the case.
Although Yedu lodged a complaint immediately after the incident in April 2024, accusing the car occupants of obstructing his official duty and hurling verbal abuses, the police initially refused to register a case.
The case was later registered following court directions. At that stage, Arya Rajendran, Sachin Dev MLA, Aravind, Aravind’s wife Arya, and their friend S R Rajeev were named as accused.
However, the charge sheet subsequently dropped four of the five accused, retaining only Aravind. He now faces a minor case and has reportedly been fined.
Yedu’s petition demands that all five individuals be retained as accused, along with Subin, the bus conductor who was on duty with him at the time of the incident.
Following the incident, CPI(M) leaders publicly justified the actions of the leader couple.
Recently, Arya Rajendran lost the power and position after the CPI(M) was defeated in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation elections last week.
During her tenure, the Corporation administration was frequently criticised for corruption, inaction, inefficiency, nepotism and alleged backdoor appointments of CPI(M) cadres.
When Arya Rajendran assumed office in 2020, the CPI(M) leadership projected her as the youngest Mayor in the country, and even claimed she was the youngest in the world. Soon after, the BJP countered this claim by presenting details of a younger BJP Mayor from North India.
Even CPI(M) workers, in private conversations, reportedly acknowledged Arya Rajendran’s failure as Mayor.
The manner in which the police handled the case has been cited as a blatant example of favouritism allegedly practised by the Home Department under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
