Fact Check | Did Arya Rajendran claim court lacked authority to register case against her?

The altercation between KSRTC Driver Yadhu and Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran and her husband MLA Sachin Dev has ignited widespread discussion, particularly on social media platforms. Amidst this fervour, a poster that quoted the Mayor as stating that the court had no authority to file a case against her has been widely circulated. Our Fact-check helpline has been contacted with a request to authenticate this statement.

Investigation
Despite a thorough examination of all news reports regarding the altercation between the KSRTC driver and the Mayor-MLA duo, no statements from the Mayor against the court were found. However, news reports have emerged about the Thiruvananthapuram first-class Judicial Magistrate directing the filing of a case against the Mayor and the MLA. This directive stems from a complaint filed by Yadhu, accusing them of obstructing a government public servant from performing his duty.

Yadhu's complaint extended beyond just Arya Rajendran and her husband Sachin Dev; it also included her brother Aravind, his wife Arya, and another individual who can be identified. The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court directed the Cantonment police to initiate a case based on Yadhu's petition. His allegations ranged from obstructing the discharge of official duty to unauthorised detention and verbal abuse. The court has handed over the complaint to the police to enable it to proceed with an investigation.

Yadhu approached the court after the police had declined to register a case against the Mayor and the MLA, despite his submission of a complaint.

To verify whether the Mayor had indeed made any statements against the court, we also reached out to her office. The spokespersons from the office clarified that the Mayor had never made any such statements.

Fact
Mayor Arya Rajendran did not make any such statements against the court. The poster circulating widely on social media is indeed fake.