With his closeness to a prominent coalition partner of the UDF Government in 2001-06, Zachariah became convener of a local level committee constituted to award land in Chinnakkanal for landless tribal people in 2002. There were allegations of several discrepancies against this committee, including usurping of tribal lands.
Though there were several cases against Zachariah and his sons, none of them were proceeded properly.
The Santhanpara police on June 6, 2007 had registered an FIR against Bobby Zachariah for trespassing into Chinnakkanal village office and forcefully taking the copies of Land Assignment documents (files LA 65/77, 1622/62 and 118/70) on the basis of a complaint submitted by the then village officer George Paulose. However, the case was closed without further inquiry.
The Crime Branch unit in Kottayam had registered a case against Jimmy Zachariah (142/CR/EOW 11/KTM/2010) in connection with land encroachment, which was also shelved later.
“This family secured land-related records during 2006-07 and tampered it to forge fake ‘pattas’. Nearly 300 pattas were created using the ‘thandapper’ of the land acquired for Anayirangal Dam.
Considering at least three acres under each patta, the total land in their possession comes around 1000 acres,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
“Zachariah Joseph, his son Bobby and daughter Mary, together own four estates — Palaniyappa, Shanmughavilasam, Elamudy and Valliyammal and all the encroachments are based on these estates.
If the government assesses these estates, a majority of illegalities of Vellookkunnel family can be unearthed,” said the officer. C R Pramod, the Devikulam CI, said no previous case history is pending with the police.