Court to hear discharge petitions of Sriram Venkitaraman, Wafa Firoz on Oct 19

Sriram Venkitaraman. File Photo: Manorama

Thiruvananthapuram: The Additional District Sessions Court here will hear on October 19 the discharge petitions of IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman and Wafa Firoz, the first and second accused in an accident that caused the death of journalist KM Basheer in 2019.

Under the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, the discharge petition is the remedy that is granted to the person who has been maliciously charged.

It is usually filed in warrant cases for serious crimes that are punishable by death or imprisonment for more than 2 years.

While the prosecution maintained that it was reckless driving under the influence of alcohol that resulted in the untimely death of Basheer, Sriram argued that there is no evidence that he was drunk driving.

The prosecution pointed out that Sriram, a doctor, allowed police to collect his blood sample for examination nine hours after the accident. By getting himself admitted to a private hospital here, Sriram botched chances of getting a proper result. His arrest was recorded nearly 17 hours later, the prosecution said. Sriram was indeed drunk based on the testimony of witnesses, the prosecution added.

However, Sriram's lawyers said that it was only accidental death. The blood sample test had not reported any trace of alcohol, they pointed out.

KM Basheer was run over by a car allegedly driven by Sriram at high speed in an inebriated state, near Museum Junction in Thiruvananthapuram in 2019.

The duo, Sriram and Wafa, a passenger in the car, were booked under sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence or giving false information) of the Indian Penal Code. They have also been charged under sections 184 (dangerous driving), 185, 188 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The charge sheet, filed before the Judicial First Class Magistrate court, has listed 100 witnesses and submitted 75 materials of evidence.

The accident and the botched probe that followed resulted in a huge controversy. Sriram was placed under suspension by the State government then.

He is currently the General Manager of Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd.

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