MADIKERI: The Forest Department has issued an eviction notice to Daisy Jacob, wife of Kerala vigilance department chief Jacob Thomas.
It is said that Daisy bought 150.3 acres at Kopattimale adjacent to Pattighat reserve forest in 1990-91 from Ramakrishna Bhat and Krishna Bhat. Pattighat is one of the biggest forests in the district under Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary near Bhagamandala.
The notice served by ACF Ranganath stated that land ownership documents are invalid in the limits of the forest area.
The notice issued on October 27 directed Daisy to vacate the land within 30 days. Forest Department sources, however, told Express that the encroacher can appeal against the notice before the State High Court or CCF Court within a month.
Daisy was in news a few years back when she allegedly fell thousands of trees on that land. The Codava National Council (CNC) took up the issue and complained to senior forest officers.
CNC president N U Nachappa said the encroached land is a forest with rare flora and fauna.
Advocate A K Subbaiah said the forest officials had been issuing notices to all Jamma and Bane lands claiming the lands belong to the department.
He said in one such case, he got an order in favour of a Jamma holder family in the Supreme Court.