Kerala plans CBI probe into ADM suicide case

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/ KOZHIKODE: Congress-led UDF govt in Kerala is planning to hand over the case related to the alleged abetment of Kannur ADM Naveen Babu's suicide to the CBI. CPM on Sunday criticised the move as "politically motivated".

Babu's family had recently met chief minister V D Satheesan and sought an urgent CBI investigation into the politically sensitive suicide abetment case.

During the meeting, they reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction with the ongoing police investigation.

The Kerala govt is yet to issue a formal notification granting consent to CBI to investigate the case, which is set to become the first major probe handed over to the Central agency since UDF returned to office.

State police have already filed a chargesheet in the case, with former Kannur district panchayat president and CPM functionary P P Divya named as the sole accused.

Divya is accused of levelling corruption allegations against the ADM in Kannur, allegedly driving him to die by suicide at his official residence the following morning.

CPM's Kannur district secretary K K Ragesh criticised the state govt's plan to hand over the probe to CBI.

He pointed out that both Kerala high court and Supreme Court had earlier rejected the demand for a CBI investigation. "Chief minister V D Satheesan is not above the courts," he said.

Ragesh said that after the family sought a reinvestigation, the inquiry conducted as per the court's directive found that certain aspects had not been considered by the vigilance department. The Kerala high court had then directed vigilance officials to examine those aspects as well.

"In such a situation, there is no doubt that ordering a CBI probe, which was even rejected by Supreme Court, is a purely political move," he said.

Ragesh alleged that Satheesan had more faith in CBI, which he described as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's force, than in the state's own investigative agencies.