Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed the Additional Sessions Court-IV, Thiruvananthapuram, to defer for one month the trial in the 2019 death case of journalist K.M. Basheer, in which IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman, a 2013-batch Kerala-cadre officer is the accused. The order is intended to facilitate the appointment of a special prosecutor for the prosecution.
A Bench of Justice C.S. Dias passed the order on August 18 while disposing of a petition filed by Jaseela C, Basheer’s widow, who had sought the appointment of a special public prosecutor and raised concerns regarding the conduct and transfer of the trial.
Trial Put on Hold to Facilitate Special Prosecutor’s Appointment
The High Court directed the trial court to pause proceedings for one month, allowing the newly appointed special prosecutor to formally take charge before the trial resumes.
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The Kerala government had already decided to appoint A. Santhosh Kumar as special public prosecutor in the case. The government subsequently informed the High Court about the appointment.
Key developments
- Trial court: Additional Sessions Court-IV, Thiruvananthapuram
- High Court judge: Justice C.S. Dias
- Accused: IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman
- Victim: Journalist K.M. Basheer
- Special prosecutor: A. Santhosh Kumar
- Latest direction: Trial proceedings deferred for one month
Case Dates Back to 2019
K.M. Basheer, then bureau chief of Malayalam newspaper Siraj, was killed in the early hours of August 3, 2019, after his motorcycle was hit by a car at Museum Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. The vehicle was allegedly being driven by Sriram Venkitaraman, who was travelling with Wafa Firoz.
Venkitaraman is facing charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash and negligent driving, drunken driving and destruction of evidence, according to reports on the proceedings.
Basheer’s Widow Had Sought Change in Prosecution
Jaseela C had approached the Kerala High Court challenging the transfer of the trial from the Additional District and Sessions Court-I to Additional Sessions Court-IV in Thiruvananthapuram.
The transfer had been ordered in January 2025 following a petition by Venkitaraman, who cited health-related difficulties faced by his counsel. Jaseela challenged the transfer and also sought the appointment of a senior or special public prosecutor to ensure an effective prosecution.
Trial Had Already Seen Witness Testimony
The case had entered the evidence stage before the latest High Court intervention. Earlier in August, an eyewitness, autorickshaw driver Shafeeq, turned hostile and retracted his earlier statements identifying Venkitaraman as the driver of the vehicle.
Another witness, Anil Kumar, supported the prosecution’s version, stating that he saw Venkitaraman at the accident site and that people and police officers there told him that Venkitaraman had been driving the car. Four prosecution witnesses had been examined by that point.
Special Prosecutor to Take Charge Before Trial Resumes
With the High Court’s latest direction, proceedings before the trial court will remain deferred for one month to allow the special prosecutor to assume charge.
The development comes as the long-running case involving the death of K.M. Basheer continues nearly seven years after the fatal accident, with the High Court’s latest intervention focused on ensuring the prosecution has dedicated legal representation.
Background: Sriram Venkitaraman, IAS
Sriram Venkitaraman is a 2013-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre and a trained medical doctor. He completed his MBBS from Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, before entering the civil services.
During his administrative career, he has served as Sub-Collector of Devikulam and District Collector of Alappuzha, besides holding senior assignments in the Kerala government. He has also pursued a Master of Public Health from Harvard University as a Fulbright scholar.
