The Kerala High Court has sought the state government’s response to a bail petition filed by Ameen Shah, the fourth accused in the Nedumbassery car crash case, and scheduled the matter for November 6 along with petitions filed by two other accused.
A bench led by Justice Kauser Edappagath adjourned Shah’s petition on Tuesday. The court will consider it with the bail pleas of Suhail Sajeev and Joel S Anto, who are also accused in the case arising from the deaths of three young people on the airport road at Nedumbassery.
According to the prosecution, Suhail, 19, was driving a Mini Cooper at a speed exceeding 100 kmph in the early hours of October 11 while heavily intoxicated. The car allegedly rammed into a scooter carrying Iyas, Devika and Gopika, resulting in the deaths of all three.
Ninav, Shah and Joel, who were travelling in the car with Suhail, have also been arrayed as co-accused. The prosecution’s account of the crash and the roles of those inside the vehicle will be considered in the continuing bail proceedings. The report before the court concerns bail, and does not determine the guilt of any accused.
The bail pleas of all four accused were dismissed by the Angamaly judicial first-class magistrate court on October 17. The accused then approached the additional district and sessions court in Ernakulam, which rejected their pleas on October 28.
Shah and the other accused subsequently moved the High Court. The court’s decision to hear the petitions together on November 6 means the state’s response to Shah’s plea will be considered alongside the applications of Sajeev and Anto. The next hearing will determine the immediate course of the bail proceedings in the case.
