The Motor Vehicles Department has issued a show-cause notice to Suhail, the 19-year-old accused of driving the Mini Cooper involved in a fatal crash at Nedumbassery near Kochi, as police cited alleged intoxication and excessive speed while opposing his bail.
The notice was issued by the Ernakulam Regional Transport Officer after a recommendation from the police investigating the accident, officials said. Suhail has been given 14 days to respond. The department will decide whether further action, including suspension or cancellation of his driving licence, is warranted after examining his reply.
The crash took place on the airport road at Nedumbassery in the early hours of October 11. Police said the Mini Cooper rammed into a scooter carrying three youngsters, all around 21 years old. The three victims, including two women, died in the collision.
MVD officials said they had received a detailed police report recommending cancellation of Suhail’s licence. Police also found that the car’s exhaust system had allegedly been modified, resulting in excessive noise, according to the report.
In a report submitted to the Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Court while opposing Suhail’s bail plea, police said his blood sample recorded an alcohol concentration of 161 mg per 100 ml and his urine sample showed 230 mg per 100 ml. The permissible limit under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, is 30 mg per 100 ml.
The police report also alleged that Suhail was driving at more than 100 kmph on a public road where the permitted speed limit was between 60 kmph and 70 kmph. These details form part of the police submission opposing bail and have not been presented as a final judicial finding in the report.
Police have arrested Ninav, Ameer and Joel, who were travelling in the car at the time of the crash. A court on Saturday dismissed the bail petitions of all four accused.
The latest administrative action places the Motor Vehicles Department’s licensing powers alongside the criminal investigation. A show-cause notice allows the licence holder to respond before the department takes a decision, while the police case and court proceedings will continue separately.
Nooha, Suhail’s mother, expressed solidarity with the families of the three victims in a video posted on the Instagram page of Iha Design, which she owns. She said her family understood the grief caused by the loss of a child and would support the victims’ families.
She also said the investigation should proceed fairly and that the law should establish the truth. With the case being widely discussed on social media, she appealed to people not to circulate baseless reports about her family and requested privacy. The MVD is expected to decide on the licence proceedings after receiving Suhail’s response within the 14-day period.
