Naveen Babu's death: Police oppose wife Manjusha's plea for fresh probe

Kannur: The Kerala Police on Saturday filed a plea before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Kannur, opposing the petition of former Kannur ADM Naveen Babu’s wife, K Manjusha, seeking further investigation into his death.

Inspector Sreejith Koderi, the investigating officer from Kannur Town Police Station, submitted that all aspects of the case had been thoroughly examined and a comprehensive probe was completed. Naveen Babu was found hanging in his official quarters on October 15, 2024. The charge sheet, filed in March 2025, named former Kannur District Panchayat president P P Divya as the sole accused.

Inspector Sreejith stated that both the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court had earlier dismissed petitions alleging lapses in the investigation and seeking a CBI probe, upholding that the inquiry was properly conducted. He argued that Manjusha’s plea had neither legal nor factual grounds and should be dismissed.

The police also rejected allegations that certain witness statements and forwarding notes were deliberately filed without dates to benefit the accused. “The claim that such omissions were intentional and later corrected is baseless,” the plea said.

Manjusha had moved her petition on August 5 under Section 175 of the BNSS, alleging that crucial documents and witness accounts were suppressed and that only a fresh investigation could address the lapses.