Nearly a month after the Kerala High Court rejected a demand for a CBI probe into the death of Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu, his wife Manjusha on Monday moved the Supreme Court with the same plea.

In January, a single bench of the High Court dismissed Manjusha’s petition for a CBI probe. A division bench upheld the decision in March, prompting her to approach the apex court. At the time, Manjusha said the family had lost faith in the ongoing Kerala Police investigation and was determined to seek justice.

While the state government initially expressed support for Babu’s family, it opposed a CBI probe in court, maintaining that the state police were conducting a fair and evidence-based inquiry.

Naveen Babu was found hanging at his official residence in Kannur on October 15, a day after his official farewell. The controversy began after CPM leader and Kannur District Panchayat President P P Divya, who allegedly attended Babu’s farewell without invitation, accused him of corruption in public. The family has maintained that Divya’s comments were politically motivated and caused Babu extreme emotional distress.

Divya was arrested on October 29 after going into hiding. Her anticipatory bail plea was rejected, and she was released on bail on November 8. On March 29, police filed a chargesheet naming her as the sole accused in the case.

Manjusha’s petition has cited multiple irregularities in the state police investigation, including claims that the inquest and post-mortem were rushed and carried out without the family's knowledge. Her counsel also argued that the ligature marks on Babu's neck needed scientific scrutiny, and that Divya’s political influence could hamper a fair investigation.

The corruption allegations made by Divya were reportedly linked to a delay in issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a petrol pump application by T V Prasanth, an electrician at Kannur Medical College.