Kerala court grants bail to ex-panchayat chief in suicide abetment case
PP Divya, a CPI(M) member, is accused of making comments that allegedly drove Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu to take his own life.
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
A Kerala court on Friday granted bail to former Kannur District Panchayat President PP Divya, who had been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu, The Indian Express reported.
KT Nissar Ahammed, the Thalassery principal district and sessions judge, granted relief to Divya, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) member, who has been accused of making comments that allegedly drove Babu to take his own life.
She had been in judicial custody since October 29, when she had surrendered to the police after the district court rejected her anticipatory bail plea.
Babu was found dead at his residence on October 15 morning after a farewell event organised on the eve of his transfer to another district. He was to take over as the additional district magistrate of Pathanamthitta and retire in seven months.
During the event, Divya had made allegations of corruption against Babu in the context of the delay in issuing a no-objection certificate for a petrol pump. The district panchayat president had alleged that Babu only granted no-objection certificates after he was bribed.
After being accused of abetting the suicide of Babu, Divya was on October 17 sacked from her post.
In her application for anticipatory bail, Divya had said that her comments during the farewell event were made in good faith,...
