Kerala High Court Overturns Discharge of IAS Officer in Fatal Accident Case

New Delhi (India), April 13, 2023: In a dramatic turn of events, the Kerala High Court has overturned the discharge of IAS Officer Sriram Venkitaraman in a case related to a fatal car accident.

Venkitaraman had been accused of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing the disappearance of evidence of the offense. The accident claimed the life of journalist KM Basheer in 2019.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas upheld the part of the Sessions Court order that discharged Venkitaraman for offenses punishable under the Motor Vehicle Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. However, the judge set aside the part of the order that discharged him of the culpable homicide charge.

The decision was made following two pleas, one from the state government challenging the Sessions Court order and the other from Wafa Firoz, Venkitaraman’s passenger at the time of the accident.

The state argued that Venkitaraman’s status as a senior civil servant meant he should have been aware of the consequences of driving while inebriated. The ruling has set the stage for a new trial.