The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Thiruvananthapuram has granted bail to the two accused in the Pattoor road accident in which a motorcyclist lost his right leg. The accused are Sidharth Sivan (29), a native of Kollam, and Anantha Krishnan S (24), a native of Thiruvananthapuram.
The accident occurred around 6.40 pm on July 29 at Pattoor Junction. According to the prosecution, Sidharth, who was driving the car, crossed the road divider on the Pettah–General Hospital Road and rammed into a motorcycle ridden by Prasanth before crashing into an autorickshaw.
The impact severed Prasanth’s right leg, which was flung into the premises of a nearby cemetery. Although emergency responders managed to retrieve the severed limb and rush it to the hospital along with the injured, doctors said the tissue was too badly crushed and mangled to be surgically reattached. Passengers travelling in the autorickshaw also sustained serious injuries.
The Pettah police registered a case against the accused under Sections 281 and 125 (rash or negligent driving on a public way), Section 110 read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for attempting to commit culpable homicide with common intention, and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, including Section 185 relating to drunken driving. The accused were later arrested and remanded to judicial custody. The police also seized the car involved in the accident.
During the bail hearing, counsel for the accused argued that the incident was purely accidental and attracted only offences under the Motor Vehicles Act relating to drunken driving. Sidharth admitted that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. The defence further contended that Anantha Krishnan was merely a passenger in the vehicle and had no role in causing the crash. It also argued that the accused had no prior acquaintance with the victim, ruling out any intention to commit the offences alleged.
Opposing the plea, the Public Prosecutor submitted that the accused were aware of the consequences of their actions and stressed the seriousness of the offences alleged.
However, Judge Mithun Gopi G S observed that, considering the current stage of the investigation, the nature of the allegations and the materials available on record, further custodial detention of the accused was not warranted. At the same time, the court noted the gravity of the allegations and the seriousness of the offences.
The court granted bail subject to strict conditions. Each accused has been directed to execute a bond of ₹50,000 with two solvent sureties for the like amount. They must appear before the investigating officer whenever required for interrogation, refrain from influencing witnesses or contacting the injured, and cooperate with the investigation.
The court said any violation of the bail conditions would lead to cancellation of bail.
Advocate Shekar G Thampi appeared for the accused.
