THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A witness in the sensational road accident death case of Siraj journalist K M Basheer on Monday gave his statement before the Additional District and Sessions Court that IAS officer Sriram Venkataraman, under the influence of alcohol, had rammed Basheer’s bike, resulting in his death. Sriram is the lone accused in the case pertaining to the death of Basheer in the wee hours of August 3, 2019.
The fifth accused in the case, Manikandan, testified that he saw the car that later hit Basheer travelling at a high speed.
Seeing the vehicle dangerously navigating Vellayambalam round-about with a sound, he pulled over his autorickshaw, Manikandan told the court. The car overtook his autorickshaw and headed towards the public office.
Manikandan identified Sriram as the person who was behind the wheels and said when the latter got out of the car post the accident, he came to know that he was drunk.
Manikandan, who is an autodriver by profession, has been listed as the fifth witness in the case. The police, meanwhile, reported that summons could not be issued to the second, third and fourth witnesses as they were abroad.
Basheer death case: Wife moves HC against trial transfer
Kochi: Jaseela C, of Malappuram, wife of K M Basheer, the Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of the Malayalam daily Siraj who was killed in a car crash involving IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman on Monday approached the Kerala High Court seeking to quash the order transferring the trial in the case from the Additional District and Sessions Court-I, Thiruvananthapuram, to the Additional District and Sessions Court-IV.
The petition stated that the District and Sessions Judge ordered the transfer on the ground that the senior counsel appearing for the accused, owing to his advanced age, found it difficult to climb the stairs to the Additional District and Sessions Court-I, as the District Court building does not have a lift. Jaseela further contended that the prosecutor currently handling the case, who was appointed only in 2023, lacks sufficient experience to conduct a serious sessions trial involving nearly 100 witnesses and a substantial volume of documentary evidence.
She has also sought a directive to the state to ensure that the prosecution is conducted by a senior prosecutor with proven credentials in the interest of justice. The petition argued that such a measure is essential because the accused is a serving IAS officer who continues to wield considerable influence. Allowing the trial to proceed in its present manner, she contended, would reduce the proceedings to a mere farce.