Kannur, March 16 (IANS) In a significant development in the mysterious death of Naveen Babu, the Assistant District Magistrate (ADM) of Kannur, a local court on Monday ordered further investigation into the case, providing fresh hope to the officer’s family that the truth behind the tragedy will finally emerge.

The order was passed by the Additional District and Sessions Court after considering a petition filed by the family seeking a deeper probe into the circumstances surrounding Naveen Babu’s death in October 2024.

Welcoming the court’s decision, Naveen Babu’s brother Praveen Babu said the family felt relieved that the court had taken note of the issues they had raised.

“We are greatly relieved by the court’s decision. When we approached the Kerala High Court seeking a CBI probe, we were told that all aspects of the case had already been examined. However, the lower court has now taken note of the issues we raised. Since there were no documents on several of the concerns highlighted by our family, the court on Monday ordered a further investigation into the death of Naveen Babu,” he said.

Naveen Babu was found hanging in his official quarters at Pallikkunnu on October 15, 2024, a day after he attended a farewell function at the district collectorate following his transfer to Pathanamthitta.

The case triggered a political storm after former Kannur District Panchayat president and top CPI-M leader P. P. Divya was accused of publicly humiliating the officer during the farewell meeting.

Divya later became the sole accused in a case of abetment to suicide.

She was in jail for a while before securing bail. According to the court order, investigators must now examine several aspects that were allegedly overlooked earlier.

These include collecting the complete phone records of Divya, particularly the details of her official mobile phone, and verifying allegations that money had been arranged through pledged jewellery in connection with bribery claims against the ADM.

The court also directed that CCTV footage and other related evidence be gathered if meetings between key individuals had taken place, and ordered that statements of vigilance officials who had earlier probed the case be recorded.

The investigation has been directed to be completed within a stipulated time frame.

The death of the senior revenue official had earlier sparked widespread controversy in Kerala, placing both the state government and the ruling CPI(M) under intense political scrutiny.

With the court now mandating further investigation, the case is expected to return to the spotlight as investigators revisit crucial questions surrounding the circumstances that led to Naveen Babu’s death.

–IANS

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