Thiruvananthapuram, August 6: Sriram Venkitaraman, the IAS officer who run over a journalist while he was allegedly driving in an inebriated condition, has been granted bail by a first-class judicial magistrate in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Kerala Journalist KM Basheer Run Over by 'Drunk' IAS Officer's Car, Dies.

The defence argued that no alcohol has been traced in the blood sample of the IAS officer, something that the court accepted while giving bail to the accused IAS.

Officer Sriram Venkitaraman was booked under Section 304 of IPC after he was arrested by the police and charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The IAS officer is accused of ramming his vehicle onto a bike which was being driven by journalist KM Basheer in Thiruvananthapuram. KM Basheer was the city bureau chief of Malayalam daily Siraj.

Sriram Venkitaraman, since his arrest, has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital. He is currently in the ICU at the Medical College Hospital. The officer was driving with a female seated next to him, who had reportedly said in her comment to the police that the officer was drunk while he was driving.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2019 07:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).