Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday, 27 October accused the Kerala Police of operating on a dual standard — one for the wealthy and influential, another for the poor — using the death of street food vendor Jayabalakrishnan in a Cheranalloor hit-and-run as his central charge. The case has triggered a sharp debate in the Kerala Legislative Assembly over accountability, policing lapses, and unequal access to justice.

How the Cheranalloor Incident Unfolded

Jayabalakrishnan, 55, a street food vendor, was killed around 2.30 am on Sunday when a Mercedes-Benz car struck him at Cheranalloor. The vehicle was driven by a minor, the son of a sitting judge. In the immediate aftermath, police reportedly filed less serious charges, and the accused was granted bail — a sequence that drew immediate allegations of preferential treatment and procedural failure.

Vijayan's Charges on the Assembly Floor

Raising the matter in the Assembly, Vijayan argued that the police had failed to change their conduct despite Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala having taken a strong public stance after an earlier accident at Nedumbassery. He said the officers were 'not even accepting the words and position taken by the Home Minister.'

Vijayan drew particular attention to a remark made by Jayabalakrishnan's daughter, who publicly questioned whether the law treats the rich and ordinary people differently. 'That child had to ask whether there is one standard of justice for the rich and another for people like them. This happened even before the funeral pyre had cooled,' Vijayan told the Assembly, calling the situation 'both sad and humiliating.'

He warned that strong ministerial statements alone would be insufficient if the police continued to act in the same manner, and said the incident had further weakened public confidence in the force.

What the Home Minister Said

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala acknowledged serious police lapses in the Assembly. He said he had personally reprimanded the Director General of Police after learning that the FIR had initially omitted the charge of culpable homicide — the appropriate provision given the circumstances. Chennithala stated that action had been ordered against all officers responsible for the lapses, including those allegedly involved in deleting material from a mobile phone and those who failed to add the correct legal provisions to the FIR.

The minister also confirmed that the government had moved a higher court seeking cancellation of the accused's bail, and that legal proceedings had been initiated against the vehicle's owner — the accused's father, a judge — with the High Court Registrar formally notified. 'Nobody is above the law, regardless of family background or influence,' Chennithala said.

The Broader Context: A Pattern of Scrutiny

This is not the first time Kerala's police have faced allegations of differential treatment in high-profile traffic cases. The earlier Nedumbassery accident, which prompted Chennithala to issue a public warning to the force, forms a backdrop that makes the Cheranalloor lapses harder for the government to defend. Critics argue the recurrence suggests a systemic problem rather than isolated officer misconduct.

For Jayabalakrishnan's family, the stakes go beyond legal remedy — the central question, as Vijayan framed it, is whether the state will treat the loss of a daily-wage earner with the same institutional seriousness it would reserve for a case involving the powerful.

What Comes Next

With the government having committed to departmental action against errant officers, a court petition for bail cancellation filed, and the High Court Registrar alerted about the accused's father's judicial position, the next few weeks will determine whether the promised accountability translates into concrete outcomes. Vijayan's intervention has ensured the case remains under sustained legislative pressure.