Kerala: Court denies bail to former Kannur Panchayat president in ADM Naveen Babu suicide case

The Thalassery High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea filed by CPI-M leader and former Kannur District Panchayat President PP Divya, who was charged with abetting the suicide of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu.

Divya filed a bail application after the police registered a case alleging that her remarks during the farewell function contributed to Naveen’s suicide.

Following the court’s refusal, Naveen’s wife Manjusha, who works as Konni Tahsildar, called for Divya’s arrest. “The person who destroyed our lives must be arrested,” she told the media, making her first statement since Naveen’s death.

Manjusha also criticized the district collector for not intervening when Divya was speaking at a farewell party organized by the revenue department employees. She added that the video recording should have been prevented.

Kannur ADM Naveen Babu was found dead at his official residence at Pallikkunnu in Kannur on the morning of October 15.

He allegedly took his own life after facing allegations of public humiliation and corruption from PP Divya, the then Kannur District Panchayat President, on October 14 during his farewell meeting.

Divya accused him of deliberately delaying the issuance of NOC to Prasanthan for setting up a petrol pump at Chengalai in Kannur.