KOZHIKODE: After two long years of probe, the police on Monday filed the chargesheet in the controversial Muttil tree felling case before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Sultan Bathery.
The chargesheet has named Vazhavatta native Roji Augustine and his brothers Josekutty Augustine and Anto Augustine as the key accused in the case. As per the chargesheet, 104 protected or endangered rosewood trees were cut and smuggled from revenue patta land at Muttil village in Wayanad. There are a total of 12 accused, including those who helped the tree-cutting gang. The Muttil South Village Officer and the special officer are also among the twelve accused.
As many as 420 people have been listed as witnesses in the case. The results of DNA testing of the trees confirmed that the Augustine brothers cut trees that were between 85 and 574 years old. The accused are also charged with cheating farmers by convincing them that they had government permission to cut the trees. The accused were also charged with document forgery. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also investigating the money- laundering aspect involving the key accused.
According to the Kerala Land Conservancy (KLC) Act, 1957 procedure, in 35 cases, the revenue department imposed a fine of three times the amount of the cut trees.
The accused cut the rosewood trees under the cover of a controversial order issued by the revenue department allowing landowners to cut trees planted after 1964. The same was even informed to the farmers by the accused in the case.