The Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Court IV on Saturday (August 1) commenced the trial in the death of journalist K.M. Basheer, nearly seven years after he was fatally hit by a car allegedly driven by IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman.

Basheer, the Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of Malayalam daily Siraj, was killed on August 3, 2019, after his motorcycle was knocked down by the car allegedly driven by Mr. Venkitaraman, who is currently serving as the Director of the Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare department. The sole accused in the case, he had earlier pleaded not guilty when the court read out the charges against him. 

On the opening day of the trial, Saifudeen Haji, director of the newspaper, was examined as the first prosecution witness. Although the accused appeared before the court, the cross-examination of the first witness was deferred until Monday at the request of the defence counsel.

The prosecution has submitted a list of 100 witnesses, and the trial is expected to continue over 37 days. The charges against the accused include culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash and negligent driving, destruction of evidence, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The trial is being conducted by Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Judge IV Sudhakanth R. The court directed three witnesses to appear for the trial on Monday.

Published - August 01, 2026 08:50 pm IST