Kannur (Kerala) | A Kerala court on Tuesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of CPI(M) leader P P Divya, who is accused of abetting the suicide of former Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu.

Principal District and Sessions Judge, Thalassery, K T Nissar Ahammed, issued the order rejecting the plea filed by Divya, who is the former president of the Kannur district panchayat.

Attending his send-off function allegedly uninvited on 14 October, Divya had criticised Babu for delaying the approval of a petrol pump in Chengalai for several months and remarked that he granted approval only two days after being transferred, hinting that she knew the reasons behind the sudden approval.

The following day, Babu was found dead at his quarters in Kannur.