Kannur: The Thalassery Principal Sessions Court will decide on the anticipatory bail plea of former District Panchayat President P P Divya on October 29. The plea is related to a case filed for abetment of suicide in connection with the death of ADM K Naveen Babu. Principal Sessions Judge K T Nisar Ahmed heard the arguments in the case.

The defence questioned whether Prashanth was acting as a benami and argued, "Who would have thought that speaking out against corruption would lead to suicide?"

While considering the bail, Public Prosecutor K Ajith Kumar refuted Divya's arguments. The prosecution claimed that Divya raised corruption allegations with the District Collector, but this was not the appropriate forum to do so, as indicated by the Collector’s response.

The Prosecutor further alleged that Divya had engaged in character assassination of the ADM, attending the event with premeditated intent and even calling a media outlet to cover it. The prosecution also noted Divya's threatening tone when she said the outcome of the allegations would be visible within two days.

Divya, meanwhile, argued that the accusations against her were baseless. She highlighted her long-standing public service, mentioning that she had received seven awards so far and added that she had always taken a firm stand against corruption and did not believe all government officials were corrupt.

Divya described herself as having a positive outlook and said she had attended the farewell meeting with the same positive attitude. She explained that it was her responsibility to point out wrongdoings. Complaints had been made, and she had been criticised based on those complaints.

Divya also argued that the opposition and media had their own agendas, adding that the media's presence was necessary to raise public awareness. She noted that there were only two complaints against the ADM. “Should we stay silent when a complaint is lodged?” she asked.

She cited a complaint by Gangadharan against the ADM regarding a land issue, while Prashanth had alleged he paid a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. Divya’s intention, she claimed, was to highlight that corruption could lead to imprisonment.

She also told the court that District Collector Arun K Vijayan informally invited her to Naveen Babu's farewell ceremony and casually asked her if she would attend.

In court, Divya explained that she had informed the Collector by phone of her intention to attend and that the deputy collector asked her to speak at the event.

Regarding the No Objection Certificate (NoC) for a petrol pump in Chengalai, Divya admitted to questioning the ADM about delays in processing the certificate. She said the ADM had explained that the issue was complex.

Divya clarified that she never directly blamed the ADM and only learned on the day of his farewell that the NoC had been granted. She further explained that her comments were aimed at encouraging smoother future processes and not to cause harm.

The Kannur Town police have filed charges against Divya under several non-bailable sections, including abetment to suicide, which could result in a prison term of up to 10 years.

Divya will be questioned as part of the investigation, and statements will also be taken from District Collector Arun K Vijayan and TV Prasanth, the complainant, in a bribery case involving Naveen Babu. However, revenue staff from the District Collectorate contradicted Divya’s claim of being invited, stating that her presence at the farewell event was unexpected.