Death of Basheer: Kerala HC grants State a week to respond to plea against change of trial court
The Kerala High Court has granted the state government one week to respond to a petition challenging the transfer of a trial court handling the death case of journalist K.M. Basheer. The victim's widow expressed concerns that the new prosecutor lacks the experience required for the complex case involving an IAS officer.
Why it matters
The case involves high-profile accountability and concerns over the integrity of judicial proceedings in a case involving a government official.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday allowed the State government a week to file its response to a petition filed by C. Jaseela, widow of journalist K.M. Basheer, challenging an order of the Sessions Judge, Thiruvananthapuram, transferring the court considering the death case.
Basheer died after he was hit by a car allegedly driven by IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman on August 3, 2019..
The sessions judge had transferred the case from the Additional District and Sessions Court - I to the Additional District and Sessions Court - IV in Thiruvananthapuram on the ground of the health condition of the lawyer appearing for the accused.
Ms. Jaseela expressed concern that the prosecution of the accused would not be handled properly by the new prosecutor, who in her opinion, was not experienced enough to handle a case with nearly 100 witnesses.
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