Kerala HC suggests monitoring of probe into ADM Babu's death by senior police officer

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday suggested monitoring of the investigation into the death of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu by a senior police officer.

The suggestion by Justice Kauser Edappagath came during hearing of a plea by Babu's widow seeking to transfer the probe into her husband's alleged suicide to the CBI.

The court said it has to be first seen whether a CBI probe was required and for that the case diary has to be seen to ascertain if the investigation was going in the right direction.

The court granted the prosecution's request for more time to submit the case diary and listed the matter for hearing on December 12.

It directed the prosecution to file an affidavit along with the case diary.

The court on November 27 directed the prosecution to submit the case diary and a detailed affidavit explaining the progress of the inquiry by December 6. However, on Friday, the prosecution sought more time to do so.

Meanwhile, the lawyer representing Babu's widow told the court that the family suspects that the death of the ADM may be a homicide.

Babu's widow has moved the High Court claiming that the investigation was not proceeding in the right direction.

She has alleged that the accused, former president of the Kannur District Panchayat, P P Divya, possessed significant political influence, raising concerns that the investigation might be sabotaged.

She has also claimed that "no meaningful progress has been made by the current investigating agency".

Her petition has also claimed that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the case "has shown no positive efforts in gathering evidence on these crucial aspects".

Babu had allegedly died by suicide following the corruption allegations made against him by former Kannur District Panchayat President Divya at his farewell function.

Attending his send-off function allegedly uninvited on October 14, the CPI(M) leader had criticised Babu for delaying the approval of a petrol pump in Chengalai for several months and remarked that he granted approval only two days after being transferred, hinting that she knew the reasons behind the sudden nod.

The following day, Babu was found dead at his quarters in Kannur.

Divya was, subsequently, removed from her post, booked for abetment of suicide, arrested and remanded to judicial custody on October 29 after her plea for anticipatory bail was rejected by a sessions court.

On November 8, she was granted regular bail by the sessions court.