Sriram Venkitaraman

The Kerala government named Sriram Venkitaraman, an IAS officer, as head of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation. The appointment was made to revive the struggling cashew industry and to put the welfare of workers first. He had been moved to the Forest Department as Joint Secretary in September before this assignment.

The Kerala High Court stayed further proceedings in the case against Sriram Venkitaraman after the state government changed its position. The case relates to the 2019 road accident that resulted in the death of journalist K M Basheer.

A parent protested against Sriram Venkitaraman presenting an award at a children’s swimming event in Kozhikode. The incident drew attention because the protester publicly objected to his involvement due to the continuing public controversy around the Basheer case.

The Kerala High Court deferred further trial proceedings in the rash driving case against Sriram Venkitaraman for one month while awaiting appointment of a special prosecutor. The court had already upheld the transfer of the case to a different sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Kerala government decided to appoint a special public prosecutor in the case related to journalist K M Basheer’s death, in which Sriram Venkitaraman is the sole accused. The move came after Basheer’s widow sought stronger prosecution and a change in the trial court setup.

Journalists protested Sriram Venkitaraman’s presence at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, objecting to his participation because he remains an accused in the KM Basheer death case. The protest focused on his role in the ongoing proceedings linked to the journalist’s death in 2019.