Kerala court denies anticipatory bail to PP Divya in suicide abetment case

A Kerala court today refused to grant anticipatory bail to former Kannur District Panchayat President PP Divya in the criminal case filed against her on allegations that certain comments made by her drove an Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Naveen Babu to die by suicide. [PP Divya v The Station House Officer, Thalassery].A Thalassery court pronounced the verdict this morning..Divya, a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], has been charged with abetting the suicide of ADM Naveen Babu, who was found dead at his residence the morning after a farewell ceremony organised on the eve of his transfer to another district.During the farewell event, Divya had made allegations of bribery against Babu, linking it to the delay in issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) for a petrol pump. According to her, Babu only approved the NOC after a bribe was paid.Naveen Babu, who had been posted away from his home district for the past few years, was due to assume office as the Pathanamthitta ADM and was just seven months away from retirement when he died at his official residence in Kannur.After Divya being accused of driving Babu to die by suicide by her public remarks, she was removed from her post as the district panchayat president.To avoid arrest, Divya filed an anticipatory bail application before the Thalassery Sessions Court.In her plea, she explained that her remarks during ADM Naveen Babu’s farewell event were not meant to pressure or harm him. According to her, the comments were made to promote administrative efficiency and address concerns regarding corruption.Divya emphasized that she had been invited to the event by the Kannur District Collector, Arun K Vijayan and that her statements were made in good faith, with no malicious intent.Prior to this incident, it was stated that there had been bribery complaints against Naveen Babu, filed by individuals named Gangadaran and Prashanth.Divya maintained that her statements were intended to address these concerns, rather than to pressure Babu.She added that she is seeking bail to take care of her elderly parents and assured the court of her willingness to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.Advocate K Viswan represented Divya before the trial court. Advocates John S Ralph and PM Sajitha represented Naveen Babu's family.Public prosecutor K Ajith Kumar represented the state..[Read Order]