Naveen Babu's death: family moves Supreme Court for CBI investigation

Thiruvananthapuram: A month after the Kerala High Court's division bench dismissed the request for a CBI investigation into the death of Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu, his wife, Manjusha, has approached the Supreme Court with the same demand. Naveen Babu was found hanging at his official residence on October 15.

In January a single bench of the High Court rejected her plea and in March the division bench also rejected her plea.

On both occasions, Manjusha, Babu’s wife, expressed her sadness at her plea being rejected. On March 3, when the High Court division bench also rejected it, she had said she would file a plea in the apex court, as the entire family was unhappy with the ongoing Kerala Police probe.

The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government, which initially expressed support for Naveen Babu's family, later opposed the demand for a CBI investigation during court proceedings. Naveen Babu, a respected and principled officer, was discovered dead just a day after his official farewell from Kannur.

The controversy surrounding his death arose when P.P. Divya, the Kannur District Panchayat President and CPI(M) leader, attended his farewell event uninvited and levelled accusations of corruption against him. This incident has since fuelled debates and demands for a deeper investigation into the circumstances of his death.

The family of Naveen Babu claimed that P.P. Divya's remarks were politically driven and caused significant emotional distress to him. Divya, who faced arrest and a brief jail term related to the case, eventually stepped down from her position amid growing criticism.

Manjusha, Babu's wife, highlighted investigation irregularities in her petitions for a CBI probe. Her counsel pointed out that the inquest and post-mortem were conducted hastily, excluding the family's presence. They also noted the presence of forceful ligature marks on Babu's neck, emphasising the need for scientific analysis. Concerns were raised about Divya's strong political ties potentially obstructing an impartial investigation by the state police.

The Kerala government, however, opposed the plea, maintaining that the state police's ongoing investigation was unbiased and evidence-based.

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 after her anticipatory bail plea was rejected.

She was released on bail on November 8. Meanwhile, on March 29, the police probing the case against Divya filed their charge sheet naming her as the lone accused.

(inputs from IANS)