The documents concern projects worth more than ₹12 crore undertaken by Carton India Alliance Private Limited during Divya’s tenure. Investigators are examining allegations that the company obtained public contracts through irregular procedures and operated as a benami concern associated with the former president. Those allegations have not been established.
The files include records concerning prefabricated modular toilets for schools and construction of an animal birth control centre. The bureau is expected to scrutinise the contract documents, approval process and arrangements under which the work was assigned before deciding its next investigative steps.
The inquiry is being supervised by the Vigilance northern range superintendent of police. The records are significant because they may clarify which authority approved each project, how tenders were advertised, and whether the private contractor satisfied the conditions attached to the awards. The documents themselves do not establish wrongdoing, and no finding of guilt has been announced. Its focus includes the role of Steel Industrials Kerala Limited, or SILK, the public sector agency through which Carton India received the work. The contracts were routed through SILK rather than being awarded directly to the private company by the district panchayat.
The investigation follows a complaint by Kerala Students Union state vice-president P Muhammed Shammas, who alleged that contracts were improperly channelled to Carton India while Divya headed the district panchayat. He has also alleged links between Divya, her husband Ajith and the company. These claims remain subject to investigation.
Carton India has rejected the suggestion that it is a benami company and maintained that it obtained contracts through electronic tendering. Its position directly contests the allegation that the awards were secured without a legitimate competitive process.
The seizure marks a documentary stage in the preliminary inquiry authorised by the state government in October. The permission was granted under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which governs inquiries into certain decisions taken by public servants while performing official duties.
An earlier government decision, dated 21 January 2026, had refused permission for a preliminary inquiry against Divya. That decision cited a Vigilance verification which had not found evidence that she intervened to secure contracts for Carton India. The earlier assessment also noted that the company possessed central and state startup registrations, potentially qualifying it for procurement exemptions.
However, the earlier government acknowledged that SILK had not given adequate publicity to bids invited during 2023–24. It characterised the lapse as a procedural irregularity rather than sufficient grounds to authorise an inquiry into Divya. The change in the government’s position has now allowed investigators to examine the disputed procurement arrangements more closely.
The complaint covers prefabricated toilets, including facilities intended for girls, installed at schools across Kannur district. It also concerns an animal birth control facility at Padiyoor, near Iritty. Investigators will need to distinguish the district panchayat’s decisions from those made by SILK when selecting contractors and issuing subcontracts.
Shammas had opposed assigning the inquiry to the bureau’s Kannur unit, alleging a potential conflict involving an officer and a relative said to be associated with Carton India. The northern range superintendent of police was subsequently placed in charge. The allegations concerning the officer have not been independently established.
Questions have also been raised about contracts undertaken by Carton India in neighbouring Kasaragod district. Former Kasaragod District Panchayat president Baby Balakrishnan has rejected allegations of improper contracting there, maintaining that SILK awarded the subcontracts and that the prescribed procedures were followed.
Former district panchayat vice-president Shanavas Padhoor has likewise denied receiving money unlawfully after allegations connected with an audio recording attributed to Carton India managing director Mohammed Asif emerged. He has said he welcomes an investigation into the matter.
The bureau’s immediate examination in Kannur concerns the five files taken from the panchayat office, including the underlying agreements for the modular toilet and animal birth control projects. The material will provide investigators with a record of the procurement decisions and the respective responsibilities of the public bodies and private contractor at the time the contracts were issued.
(The article ‘Vigilance collects Divya deals files’ appeared first on Free Press Journal.)
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