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The family of late Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances on October 15, 2024, has petitioned the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kannur, seeking a reinvestigation into the case. His wife, K Manjusha, submitted the plea on Tuesday, August 5, pointing to what she described as glaring lapses in the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) probe.
The petition alleges that the initial police investigation failed to verify the bribery accusations levelled against Babu by TV Prasanthan, a petrol pump applicant, and overlooked a potential benami relationship between Prasanthan and PP Divya, the then Kannur district panchayat president and CPI(M) leader. Manjusha claimed Divya’s political clout had influenced the investigation and led to suppression of critical evidence.
Manjusha alleged that the prosecution ignored the fact that there was no delay by Naveen Babu in granting the NoC for the petrol pump, asserting that both Prasanthan’s and the district collector’s statements, which could have exonerated Babu, were either tampered with or omitted. She also alleged the SIT failed to collect Prasanthan’s bank records to verify the bribery claim and did not examine digital evidence thoroughly.
According to the 400-page chargesheet filed in March, Divya allegedly attended Babu’s farewell event uninvited and made public accusations of corruption against him. The speech was recorded and circulated by her to defame Babu. While the chargesheet named Divya as the sole accused, it dismissed the murder angle citing lack of evidence.
Previously, Manjusha had approached the Kerala High Court and later approached the Supreme Court, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. However, both courts declined the request. The Supreme Court, on April 18, upheld the High Court’s finding that there were insufficient grounds to warrant CBI involvement, despite the petitioner’s concerns over political interference.
Babu, who had an unblemished service record of over 30 years and was months away from retirement, was found dead in his official quarters in Pallikkunnu, just a day after the controversial farewell speech. His family has since maintained that the events leading to his death were suspicious and merit deeper scrutiny.
The Kannur court will now consider whether to direct a fresh investigation based on the new plea.