The Kerala High Court has upheld the culpable homicide charges against IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman in the death of journalist KM Basheer in 2019. The court accepted the government’s review petition and pronounced the order on Thursday. ‘The culpable homicide charges under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code will stand against the accused,’ said Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas. Meanwhile, the court has acquitted the second accused, Wafa Firoz, of the charges in the case.
Earlier in November 2022, a lower court had dropped the Section 304 charges and held Sriram Venkitaraman guilty of Sections 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash and negligent driving). The incident took place in Thiruvananthapuram in August 2019 when Venkitaraman, driving in an inebriated state, fatally knocked down the journalist with a car belonging to his friend, Wafa Firoz.
The police charge sheet stated that the officer was drunk and driving the car at a high speed while returning from a private party past midnight. The charge sheet also accused Firoz of abetting the officer to drive the car rashly. The court’s decision to uphold the culpable homicide charges against Venkitaraman is a welcome move for Basheer’s family, who have been fighting for justice for the past few years.
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