THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vanchiyoor Judicial Magistrate Court on Tuesday granted bail to IAS officer Sriram Venkataraman who was remanded to 14-days judicial custody for killing a scribe by ramming his car behind the victim's bike.
While prosecution challenged the bail application moved by Sriram, the counsel appeared for him argued that since the chemical examiner's report handed over to the police mentioned the absence of concentration of alcohol in the blood sample the non-bailable sections invoked against him have to be dropped. The counsel also argued that Section 304 invoked against him, replacing Section 304 A was purely on the basis of pressure from media and political higher-ups.
However, the prosecution argued that section 304 is non-bailable and granting bail to the accused will send a wrong message to society. The prosecution also pointed out that the doctors who attended him noted that he was smelt alcohol when he was produced in the General Hospital. There was also substantial evidence to prove that the car was at a higher speed and it hit the victim from the rear, confirming that the fault of the IAS officer clearly led to the fatal accident. Whether he was drunk or not, he drove the car dangerously and this itself is a grave offence and hence he should not be granted bail, argued the prosecution.
At the same time, Kerala Union for Working Journalists alleged that the laxity of the police in collecting evidence especially blood samples to prove the volume of alcohol is what resulted in granting bail to Sriram. They also added that the future course of protest will be decided soon.