Thiruvananthapuram | The Keralam government ordered a vigilance investigation against former Kannur district panchayat president and CPI(M) leader P P Divya over alleged irregularities during her tenure, sources said on Friday.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) will investigate the award of a construction contract to Carton India without inviting tenders during her tenure as Kannur district panchayat president, officials said.
A complaint filed by KSU leader Mohammed Shammas alleged that the company belonged to a benami of Divya.
The government has granted permission to initiate the investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, officials said.
It has authorised an investigation into the assets of Divya and her husband, they added.
Shammas had filed the complaint during the previous LDF government's tenure, following which the VACB initiated a preliminary inquiry. However, the then government did not grant permission for a further probe, officials said.
The investigation will also cover former Kannur district panchayat secretary Abdul Latheef, they added.
Divya has faced legal proceedings in connection with the death of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu in Kannur.
Babu was found dead at his official residence on October 14, 2024, allegedly after Divya made remarks against him at his farewell function.
Divya, who was then the Kannur district panchayat president, was accused of arriving uninvited at the function and levelling corruption allegations against Babu.
Police later filed a charge sheet against her in a magisterial court for abetment of suicide.
Divya was demoted from the CPI(M) Kannur district committee to a branch committee in November 2024.
Following a recent extended meeting of the CPI(M) district committee, she was not included in the district leadership.
She subsequently expressed her disappointment in a Facebook post.
