IAS officer Sriram Venkataraman, the accused in the 2019 road accident that claimed the life of journalist K.M. Basheer, appeared before the Additional District Sessions Court – 1 here on Friday. Charges were framed against him under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 279 (negligent driving) and section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act (driving in a manner dangerous to the public).
Previously, he had failed to present himself before the court. When the case came up for hearing on July 18, the defence counsel attributed his absence to commitments related to his official duties. Basheer, 35, then Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of the Malayalam daily Siraj, died in the accident that took place outside the Public Office near Museum on August 3, 2019.
The case has been posted for hearing on September 6.
