KALPETTA: The Forest Department has submitted a revised charge sheet in the Muttil tree-felling case after rectifying errors in the earlier document. The revised charge sheet was submitted before the Sultan Bathery Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Friday.
Officials said the delay in filing the charge sheet was due to a stay order issued by the High Court. The court had earlier returned the charge sheet submitted on September 17, citing the absence of necessary supporting documents and serious technical errors.
The initial charge sheet in Case No. 1/21, related to the Muttil tree-felling incident, was filed before the Bathery Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on September 17, nearly five years after the case was registered. The Forest Department had not provided an explanation for the delay in filing the charge sheet.
The document also failed to clearly state whether the trees had been felled from forest land or assigned land held under title deeds. The seized timber and vehicles allegedly used in the offence had not been confiscated when the charge sheet was filed. Several technical errors were also detected, prompting the court to return the document without accepting it on record.
The Augustine brothers, who are accused in the case, had approached the High Court in 2021 seeking to quash the FIR. The stay on filing the charge sheet was lifted on September 8, and the High Court directed the Forest Department to file it within 10 days. Officials said the charge sheet was subsequently filed on September 17 in compliance with the directive.
The Forest Department has also initiated proceedings under Section 61A of the Kerala Forest Act to confiscate the felled timber and the Taurus lorry involved in the case. Notices have been issued to the accused. The department is expected to inform the court that the confiscation proceedings will be completed on an urgent basis.
Meanwhile, Forest Minister Shibu Baby John criticised the Muttil tree-felling incident, describing it as a massive scam in the state. He alleged that the previous government had failed to conduct a comprehensive investigation. The minister said an inquiry would be conducted to determine whether the errors in the charge sheet were deliberate.
“I examined the facts regarding the rejected charge sheet. There are certain errors in it. We will investigate whether these were intentional,” Shibu Baby John said.
“A report on the matter has been sought. The Forest Department had seized 108 felled rosewood trees. It was evident that nine of the trees were not cut from land held under title deeds. The remaining charge sheets in the Muttil case will be filed soon. The Muttil tree-felling case has not collapsed. High-value rosewood trees were among those cut down. Genuine farmers have suffered due to such plunder by certain individuals. The reasons behind the issuance of the controversial revenue order must also be investigated. A report has been sought from the Head of the Forest Department,” the minister said.