Kerala HC refuses to stay bail of IAS officer in road accident case; CM says won’t allow dilution of probe

There are allegations that the officer was inebriated and driving the car rashly that led to the accident early Saturday morning. KM Basheer, the bureau chief of a local Malayalam daily who was travelling on a two-wheeler, was hit by Venkitaraman’s car and was brought dead at the hospital.

The high court reprimanded the state police in strong language for the manner in which it conducted blood tests on the IAS officer to trace alcohol content after the accident. Reportedly, the police have not been able to find traces of alcohol in his blood post the accident. The court asked the police in jest whether Venkitaraman himself would bring evidence of his involvement in the case. It also said that is “unbelievable” that the road where the accident occurred has not CCTV cameras. The road also houses the residence of the Governor.

The government argued in court that since the case was in its infancy, allowing Venkitaraman bail would jeopardize the case. It requested to take the IAS officer into custody so that he can be questioned. Currently, Venkitaraman is admitted in the trauma care ward at the Medical College hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters in the state capital that the government will not allow any dilution of the investigation or the legal process. Strong action will be taken against anyone doing so, he stressed.

“There will be no loopholes in the investigation. You don’t have to worry about it,” the CM told reporters.

Additionally, he said there will be a probe on alleged lapses on the part of the government in taking the accused’s blood tests, filing the FIR on time and conducting medical examination of the accused.

Vijayan also wondered whether a person like Venkitaraman, who knows the laws about drunken driving and rash driving, should have indulged in the same. “According to his (Venkitaraman) version, if he did not consume alcohol, doesn’t he have common sense that he should not have driven the car at such high speed? So if a man who is aware of committing a wrong and is still doing it, it’s different from an ordinary person committing a crime. They (the police) are investigating all aspects,” he quipped. He added that the police will probe if the accused took any medicine that can make alcohol traces in blood tests disappear.