Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 29 (IANS): Three weeks after the single bench of the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition seeking a CBI probe into the death of Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu, who was found hanging at his official residence on October 15, 2024, his widow on Wednesday filed an appeal before a division bench.
On January 6, the single bench of the high court dismissed her petition and then, Babu’s wife, K. Manjusha announced plans to appeal against the decision.
She then said, "This is not the end. We will file an appeal with the High Court division bench," and on Wednesday, she filed her plea and stated the present police probe was not acceptable.
The Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government, which had initially pledged support to Babu’s family, opposed the demand for a CBI probe during court proceedings.
Naveen Babu, a reputed and upright officer, was found dead a day after his official farewell from Kannur.
The controversy began when P.P. Divya, Kannur District Panchayat President and a CPI(M) leader, attended Babu’s farewell event uninvited and accused him of corruption.
The family alleged that Divya’s remarks were politically motivated and caused immense distress to Babu.
Divya, who was later arrested and briefly jailed in connection with the case, resigned from her position amidst mounting criticism.
Ever since the suicide report came out, Manjusha and the family were unhappy with the way the police went about it and repeatedly her counsel argued that the inquest and post-mortem were conducted hastily, without the family's presence. It was also pointed out that forceful ligature marks were found on Babu’s neck, requiring scientific examination. The family also expressed fears that Divya’s strong political connections might hinder a fair investigation by the state police.
The Kerala government opposed the plea, asserting that the state police's ongoing investigation was impartial and based on evidence. The government’s counsel argued that the demand for a CBI probe relied on assumptions without substantial proof.
Divya’s corruption allegations against Babu stemmed from a delay in issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a petrol pump application by T.V. Prasanth, an electrician at the Kannur Medical College. Notably, Prasanth was reportedly a colleague of Divya’s husband, raising suspicions about personal motives behind the accusations. Amid the uproar following Babu’s death, Divya went into hiding but was arrested on October 29, 2024 after her anticipatory bail plea was rejected. She was released on bail on November 8, 2024.