Kochi, October 1 (Daily Kiran) : The Kerala High Court has put a stop to the ongoing trial of senior IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman in connection with the death of journalist KM Basheer, who died in a road accident in 2019. The ruling was made by Justice G. Girish on Thursday in response to a petition filed by Basheer’s wife, Jaseela. She challenged the state government’s decision not to appoint a special public prosecutor (SPP) for the case.
The court has also requested the state government to present records related to its decision. The case is scheduled for further consideration on October 27, during which the prosecutor has been instructed to seek guidance from the government.
Basheer lost his life in August 2019 when his motorcycle was allegedly struck by a car driven at high speed by Venkitaraman near the Museum Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. Venkitaraman faces multiple charges, including reckless driving, causing death by negligence, and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The trial commenced on August 1 of this year, nearly seven years after Basheer’s death. Jaseela had previously approached the High Court to demand the appointment of a special public prosecutor. She also contested the transfer of the trial to another court but later limited her petition to just the request for an SPP.
In August, the High Court acknowledged the state government’s argument that it had, in principle, decided to appoint Advocate A. Santhosh Kumar as the special public prosecutor. The court then granted the government time to formalize the appointment, resulting in a one-month delay in the trial.
However, on September 17, the government issued an order rejecting the request for an SPP, prompting Jaseela to challenge this decision in the High Court. She claimed that the government changed its stance after informing the court about Kumar’s proposed appointment.
In her petition, Jaseela stated, “It appears that the government has reversed its position by rejecting the demand for the appointment of a special public prosecutor.” She has called for the cancellation of the government’s order and requested that the additional chief secretary of the home department, Santhosh Kumar, be appointed as the special public prosecutor.
Previously, following Jaseela’s decision to not pursue her request for a trial transfer, the High Court upheld the transfer of the case. The trial is currently taking place in the Additional Sessions Court-IV in Thiruvananthapuram. With the High Court’s latest order, the trial proceedings will remain halted until the next hearing on October 27.
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