THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Supreme Court has approved the Kerala government’s request to allocate a portion of land from the Nettukaltheri Open Prison to key central institutions. The order was issued by a bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath on Tuesday.
As per the verdict, 257 acres will be handed over to BrahMos Aerospace, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). Of the 257 acres approved for allocation, BrahMos Aerospace will receive about 180 acres, while roughly 32 acres each will be allotted to the SSB and the NFSU. Out of the total 457 acres, the remaining 200 acres will continue to be reserved for the functioning and future requirements of the open prison.
The court had earlier placed restrictions on diverting open-prison land for non-prison purposes. The state government approached the apex court seeking relaxation of these conditions, citing the national importance of the proposed projects.
Standing counsel Nishe Rajen Sonker represented the state government in the case. Senior state government officials said the clearance would pave the way for major defence and security infrastructure in Kerala. The DRDO had requested land for BrahMos Aerospace to expand its capabilities in producing next-generation missiles and strategic hardware.
Officials also noted that the presence of an SSB battalion in the southern region would significantly strengthen national security. The NFSU campus is expected to develop into an important institutional and academic centre for forensic sciences.
Parassala MLA C K Hareendran welcomed the verdict, calling the BrahMos facility a crucial project for the state.