Kerala High Court seeks State response to plea seeking CBI probe into ADM Naveen Babu's death

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday sought the response of the State to the plea moved by wife of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) late Naveen Babu seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into his death in which former Kannur District Panchayat President PP Divya is accused of having played a role [Manjusha v. Central Bureau of Investigation & Ors.]..Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas also issued notice to the CBI on the matter. .After the petitioner's counsel, advocate John S Ralph, asserted that PP Divya may be exerting her political influence and even manufacturing evidence to scuttle a fair investigation, Justice Thomas deemed it fit to call for the case diary of the investigation. The Court also directed the Investigating Officer (IO) to file a statement responding to the petition by December 6.However, the Court declined to issue any interim order to prevent the (IO) from filing the final report in the case at this stage..Babu was found dead in his official quarters on October 15 after a farewell ceremony organised for him on account of his recent transfer to another district.At this farewell event, former Kannur District Panchayat President and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader PP Divya, had made some public allegations of corruption against Babu.Divya was subsequently charged with abetting his suicide and after a short period of judicial custody, she was granted anticipatory bail by a Sessions Court on November 8..In her petition before the High Court, Babu's widow has alleged that there are serious doubts regarding the circumstances leading to her late husband's tragic death.The petition stated that Divya had trespassed into the function accompanied by a cameraman, delivered a defamatory speech falsely accusing Babu of corruption and then circulated a recording of the same.The primary allegation in the petition is that the District Collector of Kannur was unduly influenced by Divya. The petition highlighted a series of events that suggest the Collector’s actions were designed to shield Divya from any legal consequences.It was also alleged that the SIT failed to conduct an impartial or comprehensive investigation. In this regard, the petitioner stated that she had filed a request before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Kannur to preserve crucial evidence related to the case.This includes CCTV footage from the District Collectorate premises, phone call logs, location data, and recordings involving the District Collector and Prashanth, a government official alleged to be connected to the events leading to Babu’s death.According to the petition, witnesses are afraid to testify against the Divya as she is a powerful person with significant political connections.As per the plea, the inquest was conducted in a rushed manner and was carried out before Babu's close family members could arrive at the scene..The High Court will consider the case next on December 6. .Advocates John S Ralph, Vishnu Chandran, Ralph R John, Giridhar Krishna Kumar, Geethu TA, Mary Greeshma, Liz Johny and Krishnapriya Sreekumar appeared for the petitioner.