The Cantonment police on Monday registered a second case against Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran, her husband, KM. Sachin Dev, MLA, and three others in connection with their altercation with Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) driver HL Yedhu last week.
Mayor Arya Rajendran, her husband, Balussery MLA KM Sachin Dev, Mayor’s brother Aravind, his wife Arya and another person were booked following a direction by the Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate Court III which had considered the KSRTC driver HL Yedhu’s plea.
The Thiruvananthapuram First Class Judicial Magistrate Court III has on Monday instructed the Cantonment Police to register a case against Mayor Arya Rajendran and her husband Sachin Dev MLA in a petition filed by HL Yedhu, the driver of the KSRTC.
Yedhu , in his plea, accused Mayor Arya Rajendran , her husband Sachin Dev MLA and others of obstructing his official duties, unlawful detention , destroying evidence ,and blocking the road.
Following the court order, the police initiated legal proceedings under non-bailable provisions. The Mayor and others have been booked under Sections 353 (using criminal force or assault to prevent a public servant from performing their duties), 447 (criminal trespass), 341 (wrongful restraint), 294(b) (uttering obscenities), 201 (causing evidence of offence to from performing their duties), 447 (criminal trespass), 341 (wrongful restraint), 294(b) (uttering obscenities), 201 (causing evidence of offence to disappear) and 34 (acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, in addition to the Motor Vehicle Act.
The first information report(FIR), registered on Yedhu’s complaint, charges the Mayor and the others with exerting influence to destroy the memory card in the digital video recorder unit of a CCTV camera on the bus, among other offences.
Despite a complaint by the driver of the KSRTC bus , the police had refused to register a case against the Mayor and MLA. It was in this circumstance that the driver approached the court seeking justice.
Earlier on Saturday, the Cantonment Police registered a case against Mayor Arya Rajendran, her husband KM Sachin Dev MLA and three identifiable persons for allegedly blocking a KSRTC bus in the capital city .The police registered the case on Saturday following a directive from the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court Thiruvananthapuram on a petition filed by Advocate Baiju Noyal. He approached the court on April 30 stating that the Cantonment police and City Police Commissioner ignored the complaint against the Mayor and MLA.
The controversial incident took place on April 27, when the Mayor and her family got into a heated argument with the KSRTC bus driver by blocking the bus in Thiruvananthapuram.