KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has ordered that the forest department shall ensure that in the execution of any of the Manjeri Forest Tribunal’s orders, no forest land in lieu of the land covered by the lease agreement on the 500 acres of land at Kanjirapuzha, Mannarkkad, Palakkad, is restored to the claimants/lessees.
The court directed the state government to ensure that the forest land in Kanjirapuzha was protected. The court passed the verdict while disposing of a writ petition filed by One Earth One Life alleging that, in the name of implementation of the orders of the Forest Tribunal, the lessees are trying to take possession of forest land.
The tribunal had found that the property under the lease agreement executed by the owner of the land, Mannarghat Moopil Nair, with Ulahannan and 14 others had not been vested with the govt.
The petitioner argued that the officers of the forest department, under the threat of contempt or to save their skin, would go to any extent and deliver the forest land to the lessees. Therefore, the forest department would be compelled to deliver possession of some other forest land in execution of the orders made by the Forest Tribunal.