The Cantonment police have dropped the charges against Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran and her husband, K.M. Sachin Dev, MLA, in a case pertaining to an altercation with a Kerala State Road Transportation Corporation (KSRTC) driver a year ago.
The duo and two others were among those excluded from the chargesheet, while the Mayor’s brother, Aravind, remains the only accused in the case.
The group had been booked under non-bailable provisions including Section 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 disappear) of the Indian Penal Code. The case was registered based on a direction issued by the Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate Court III considering the driver H.L. Yadhu’s plea.
‘Based on legal opinion’
The investigators maintained that neither the Mayor nor the MLA obstructed official duty or used abusive language during the incident. The decision to exclude their names were based on legal opinion.
The incident occurred at Palayam on April 27, 2024. The spat had broke out after the Mayor accused the KSRTC bus driver of making obscene gestures at her and her sister-in-law while they travelled on a private vehicle.
Notably, the City police had booked the group in another case based on a complaint by a Kochi-based advocate. They were charged under bailable provisions, including those pertaining to causing obstruction to a person in a public place, and wrongful assembly, in the particular case.
The police are set to file a chargesheet against Mr. Yadhu in a case based on the Mayor’s complaint. The investigation team has been unable to recover a memory card that went missing from the bus. The Opposition had then alleged a political conspiracy behind the mysterious disappearance of the memory card of the CCTV camera on board the KSRTC bus.
Reacting to the exclusions from the chargesheet, Mr. Yadhu said he would pursue legal action against the decision. He also reiterated innocence in the incident.
Published – December 02, 2025 09:17 pm IST
