RTI activist Gireesh Babu found dead at home in Kalamassery
The Hindu
Girish Babu, RTI activist, found dead in Kalamassery home. He was 47 and had been undergoing treatment for brain-related health issues.
Gireesh Babu, a Right to Information (RTI) activist and the man behind many legal battles that triggered political controversies, including the recent alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited-pay off case, was found dead in the first floor of his home in Kalamassery on Monday morning. He was 47.
He had asked his wife to wake him up around 7 am since he had to go to the High Court in connection with a case. His door was bolted from inside and he was unresponsive when wife repeatedly knocked the door around 6.45 am.
Following this, neighbours rushed in and broke a portion of the door and unbolted it. Gireesh Babu was found lying on the bed with his face down. He had been undergoing treatment for a while for brain-related health issues.
The Kalamassery police were alerted and an inquest of the body was conducted.
He had initiated legal battles in many cases of public interest through Public Interest Litigations (PIL). Recently a Vigilance Special court had rejected a plea seeking an investigation into the alleged illegal financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena, and prominent UDF leaders including the late Oommen Chandy. He had since approached the High Court.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.