ADM Naveen Babu’s wife approaches HC seeking CBI probe
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Former Kannur Assistant District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu K's wife and Konni Tahsildar Manjusha K on Tuesday approached the Kerala High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into her husband’s death. She expressed a lack of confidence in the ongoing probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), calling it "inefficient" and raising suspicions about the circumstances of Naveen's alleged suicide.
In her plea, Manjusha highlighted concerns over the hasty inquest procedures conducted by the police, stating that these were completed before she or other family members could reach Kannur, further deepening their doubts. She also alleged that TV Prashanthan's bribery accusations against Naveen were fabricated and criticised the SIT for failing to collect evidence effectively. According to Manorama News, Manjusha accused the team of allowing opportunities for the accused to manipulate the investigation and destroy crucial evidence.
The petition mentions the involvement of CPM leader P P Divya, who had publicly accused Naveen of corruption during his farewell meeting, as a key factor in the family's distrust. It further asserts that the accused’s political connections have undermined the investigation's integrity.
Previously, Manjusha had filed a plea with the Kannur Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, requesting BSNL and Vodafone India (Vi) to preserve the call data records of Divya, Kannur Collector Arun K Vijayan, and TV Prashanthan. She alleged that the SIT had not made sufficient efforts to retrieve these records, which could be critical to the case.
Naveen was found dead in his official quarters on October 15, the day after Divya publicly accused him of accepting a bribe of Rs 98,500 for issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) for a petrol pump in Chengalayi grama panchayat.