Kochi, 18 August (H.S.):The Kerala High Court has directed that trial proceedings in the case relating to the death of journalist K.M. Basheer be suspended for one month, pending the formal appointment of a special public prosecutor.

The court issued the direction while considering the case on Tuesday. The State government had earlier decided to appoint a special public prosecutor to conduct the trial and the Home Department had selected advocate Santhosh for the role. However, the formal appointment order had not been produced before the court.

Taking note of the delay, the High Court ordered that the trial be kept in abeyance for a month to allow the government to complete the appointment process and submit the relevant order.

Basheer, who was serving as the Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of the Malayalam daily Siraj, died after being hit by a car near Museum Junction in Thiruvananthapuram at around 1 a.m. on August 3, 2019.

The car was allegedly driven by IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman. The vehicle was registered in the name of Thiruvananthapuram resident Wafa Firoz, who was reportedly travelling in the car at the time of the accident.

Following the incident, allegations surfaced that attempts had been made to portray Wafa as the person driving the vehicle. Police initially maintained that she had been behind the wheel. However, statements from eyewitnesses and interventions by journalists reportedly indicated that Venkitaraman was driving the car when the accident occurred.

Venkitaraman, the sole accused in the case, faces charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash and negligent driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and destruction of evidence.

The long-pending case has attracted considerable public attention, particularly over allegations concerning the handling of the investigation immediately after the accident. The trial is expected to resume after the special public prosecutor's appointment is formally notified.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman