Published Aug 05, 2026 | 2:59 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 05, 2026 | 2:59 PM
The deceased journalist, KM Basheer (Left), and the accused IAS officer, Sriram Venkitaraman.
Synopsis: The trial in the 2019 journalist KM Basheer death case saw an eyewitness turning hostile while another supported the prosecution’s version before the trial court. Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court issued a notice to the state government on a petition filed by Basheer’s wife, Jaseela, challenging the transfer of the case involving IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman.
A key prosecution witness in the journalist KM Basheer death case turned hostile during the trial on Tuesday, 5 August, while another stood by his initial version of the incident.
Basheer, the then-Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of a Malayalam daily, Siraj, was killed on 3 August 2019, after his motorcycle was hit by a speeding car allegedly driven by IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman at Museum Junction. The journalist was 35 when he died.
When the Additional Sessions Court-IV took up the case for hearing on Tuesday, autorickshaw driver Shafeeq turned hostile. He retracted his earlier confidential statements made to the police and magistrate. Earlier, he identified Venkitaraman as the driver of the speeding car that had hit Basheer’s motorcycle.
During the trial, he testified in favour of the accused.
However, another witness, Anil Kumar, stood by his earlier version and backed the prosecution’s case. He was a watchman at the Public Office Complex adjacent to the scene of the deadly incident.
Kumar told the court that he had rushed to the spot after hearing the crash, saw the damaged vehicle and Venkitaraman at the accident scene. He also submitted that the passerby and police officers present told him that Sriram had been driving the car.
Four prosecution witnesses have been examined so far.
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Meanwhile, the High Court of Kerala on Tuesday issued a notice to the state government on a petition filed by Jaseela C, wife of Basheer, challenging the transfer of the trial in the 2019 rash-driving case.
Justice CS Dias noted that the Public Prosecutor had accepted the notice and sought time to obtain instructions from the government.
The court posted the matter for further hearing on 11 August.
Jaseela’s petition challenged the January 2025 order of the Sessions Court transferring the trial from the Additional District and Sessions Court-I to the Additional District and Sessions Court-IV in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to the plea, the transfer was ordered solely because the senior counsel appearing for the accused had difficulty accessing the first-floor courtroom due to health reasons.
The petition also sought the appointment of a senior or special public prosecutor, expressing apprehension over the manner in which the prosecution was being handled.
The High Court proceedings came a day after Jaseela moved the court challenging the transfer of the trial and raising concerns over the conduct of the prosecution.
Also Read: SC upholds culpable homicide charge against Kerala IAS officer
The issue also figured prominently at a memorial programme organised by the Thiruvananthapuram district unit of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) on Monday, 3 August, to mark Basheer’s death anniversary.
Speaking at the event, Health Minister K Muraleedharan alleged that Venkitaraman had received exemptions that even former Kerala minister P T Chacko had not enjoyed.
Referring to Chacko’s resignation in the 1960s following a controversy, the Minister said the UDF government would stand with Basheer’s family and expressed concern over what he described as attempts to derail the case despite sustained public and media attention.
Muraleedharan also said the government’s decision on appointing a special public prosecutor would be taken based on the Kerala High Court’s ruling.
Currently serving as Kerala’s Agriculture Director, Venkitaraman continued to face strong resistance from the state’s journalist fraternity whenever he appeared at official media events.
His presence alongside Agriculture Minister T Siddique at a government press conference triggered sharp protests from reporters, who refused to participate while the officer remained on the dais.
KUWJ later criticised the government’s decision to project officials facing criminal charges at public events and praised journalists for their united stand.
During the previous LDF government’s tenure, journalists similarly boycotted a press conference attended by Venkitaraman, forcing him to leave before the briefing.
