Kannur: The Kannur First Class Judicial Magistrate Court has permitted the former District Panchayat President, P P Divya, to be remanded in police custody until 5 pm on Friday. This decision follows a custody request submitted by the police, reported Manorama News.
Divya's bail plea will be considered on Tuesday after completing all verification processes, including numbering and listing. Afterwards, Naveen Babu's family will join party to the case. The former ADM's family is also preparing to oppose the bail plea.
Meanwhile, the state government and revenue department continue to remain silent about the controversies surrounding Kannur District Collector Arun Vijayan's statement regarding the ADM's death. The inquiry report by Land Revenue Joint Commissioner A Geetha, submitted on October 24, has been handed over to Revenue Minister K Rajan, along with remarks from the Principal Secretary and Chief Secretary.
Following Naveen Babu's death, the minister described the ADM as a good official and stated that he would provide further information after receiving the inquiry report. However, with the findings likely to be reviewed in court proceedings, officials have indicated that the report may not be released publicly as it includes details of the farewell meeting held for Naveen Babu, the statements made by PP Divya and the ADM's death.
The report, which exonerates the ADM in the petrol pump issue, is expected to be presented to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday.
Collector's statement submitted in sealed cover
Kannur District Collector Arun K Vijayan submitted his statement to the Land Revenue Joint Commissioner in a sealed cover, which was later added to the inquiry report as per the advice from the Revenue Principal Secretary. It remains to be seen whether the controversial statement has been officially recorded in the report.
The Thalassery Sessions Court, in its order denying anticipatory bail to PP Divya, quoted the collector as saying that the ADM had confessed to a "mistake" in his chamber. The court also observed that this admission could not prove that the ADM took a bribe to issue a no-objection certificate for the petrol pump.
