Activist Girish Babu, who filed a plea against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, was found dead at his home at Kalamassery near Kochi on Monday morning.

Girish(47) was living with his family in Kalamassery. It was his wife who found him dead in the bedroom. The Kalamassery Police have registered a case of unnatural death.

Preliminary investigation into the death suggests that the activist died of cardiac arrest.

Sources said Girish was undergoing treatment.

Girish Babu was known for his controversial public interest petitions. He had filed a petition seeking a vigilance probe into the ‘monthly payment’ case against the state chief minister’s daughter Veena Vijayan. He played a pivotal role in exposing the Palarivattom flyover scandal and ordering an investigation into the case.

He moved to the Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha seeking an investigation into the alleged bribe paid by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL) to Veena Vijayan. However, the court rejected the petition.

Following this, he filed a revision petition in the high court, challenging the vigilance court order. Tragically, his death occurred on the very day the high court was scheduled to hear the case.

Girish, in his petition, said the findings by the Income Tax Interim Board of Settlement (ITIBS), New Delhi, that the chief minister’s daughter and her firm, Exalogic Solutions received Masappady(Monthly pay-off) from the mining company, Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) without providing any service, falls within the ambit of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Girish Babu, who sought the probe citing revelations by the ITIBS, named Chief Minister Vijayan, his daughter Veena Vijayan, and UDF leaders Ramesh Chennithala, P K Kunhalikutty, and V K Ebrahimkunju in the petition.

Veena’s company Exalogic Solutions, CMRL, its MD S N Sasidharan Kartha, Chief Financial Officer K S Suresh Kumar, Chief General Manager P Suresh Kumar, and cashier K M Vasudevan figured in his petition.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court adjourned the hearing of the revision petition in the monthly pay-off for two weeks after the petitioner’s advocate informed the court about his death.