KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday set aside the directive to Kottayam District Collector M Anjana to deposit the compensation amount due to the Ayana Charitable Trust, which is in possession of the Cheruvally estate, in the court while acquiring the estate for the proposed Sabarimala airport. Justice A Muhammed Mustaque issued the order while considering a petition filed by the trust challenging the government order to acquire the land.
The state government had decided not to pay the compensation to the trust, but instead deposit it in the court. The petitioners asked how the state government, which disputed the title over the property, could direct the district collector to deposit the compensation amount before the court. The petitioner also pointed out that a division bench of the Kerala High Court had earlier quashed the order of a special officer of the state government for initiating the land conservancy proceedings.
Thereafter, the state government had filed a civil suit seeking to declare that it has the right of the estate and f o r re c ove r y o f possessions. Recently, a single judge had ordered the state government not to forcibly dispossess the petitioner from occupying the land.