Thiruvananthapuram: The Keralam government has 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.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said permission was granted for the probe after examining the merits of the case and reviewing the entire file.
"The truth cannot be established without an investigation. There is no politics in this. Permission was granted for the investigation based on my firm conviction," he said.
Chennithala said the previous government had also received a request for permission under Section 17(A), but the then CM had referred the file to the department for examination.
He said he did not know why the previous government had not granted permission.
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.
Divya on Friday welcomed the vigilance probe against her, saying she had nothing to hide and would fully cooperate with the investigation.
In a Facebook post, she expressed confidence that the investigation would establish the truth.
"Let those who have done wrong face the consequences; the law will protect those who have done nothing wrong," she said.
"Let the investigation take place, and the truth come out. I will fully cooperate with any investigation. I have nothing to hide and nobody to fear," Divya said.
She challenged the investigators to find any illegal assets held in her name, her husband's name or through benami transactions. She added that she was even willing to register any illegally acquired land in Shammas's name if such property was found.
Divya said her husband owned five cents of land and a house measuring 1,236 square feet.
He had purchased 50 cents of land, worth less than Rs 5 lakh, using a bank loan, she said.
Apart from these assets, the family owned a two-wheeler and a car and had no other illegal assets, she claimed.
"Even when I heard allegations of corruption involving Rs 25 crore, I did not lose my composure," she said, adding that the district panchayat's projects were implemented transparently through the e-tendering system.
Divya said she did not wish to respond to the allegations by personally attacking anyone and maintained that facts and evidence should expose the motives behind them.
"I am right here. I will not run away. I will face the investigation. Let us see," she added.
