New Delhi: Kerala-based IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman faced a huge setback on Friday when the Supreme Court upheld the 'involuntary manslaughter' charge against him in connection with the death of journalist K M Basheer.
The Supreme Court dismissed Venkitaraman's appeal against the High Court ruling which held the murder charge would remain in the case.
Venkitaraman had appealed that there was no evidence to charge him with homicide and claimed that the case should be treated as a simple Motor Vehicle Department case.
Sriram's defence rests on the scientific test report, which showed there was no trace of alcohol in his body during the accident.
On April 13, the High Court held that the charge of manslaughter would hold against the accused in a petition filed by the government challenging the trial court's order, which absolved him of murder charge.
Basheer was killed when a car driven by Sriram crashed into the former's bike on a road in the heart of Kerala's capital city Thiruvananthapuram on August 3, 2019.
The case, filed in February 2020, accuses Sriram of involuntary manslaughter and destruction of public property, offences that could result in up to 10 years in prison.
