Death of K M Basheer: HC notice to government on plea of K M Bahsheer’s wife

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has issued a notice to the state government in connection with the death of K M Basheer, former bureau chief of Siraj daily. The action comes after Basheer's wife Jaseela approached the high court seeking quashing of the order related to the transfer of the trial court. The court has directed the government to file a reply within a week.

The plea was filed challenging the order of the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court. Basheer's wife alleged in the plea that the court was changed at the behest of the defence lawyer. There is concern on whether the trial will be conducted fairly. The case should be transferred to the sessions court 1, which had previously considered the case. The present prosecutor does not have experience and therefore, he should be changed. The plea also demanded that a special prosecutor be appointed.

IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman is the sole accused in the case. The accused has been charged with culpable homicide, dangerous driving, drunken driving, and destruction of evidence. Basheer was killed in the early hours of August 3, 2019, when the car in which Sriram Venkitaraman and his friend Wafa Firoz were travelling hit him.