Tree-felling case accused got bail with govt help: Greens council

The court granted bail on the grounds that the prosecution has not filed chargesheet in the case even after 60 days.  
The stump of a rosewood tree cut from Muttil in Wayanad
The stump of a rosewood tree cut from Muttil in Wayanad

KOZHIKODE: Wayanad Prakriti Samrakshana Samiti (WPSS) has alleged that the state government colluded with Augustine brothers in the sensational Muttil tree-felling case to help the latter get bail. The three Augustine brothers - Roji, Anto and Josekutty - the key accused in the case, had obtained bail from Sultan Bathery court on Wednesday. The court granted bail on the grounds that the prosecution has not filed chargesheet in the case even after 60 days.  

“Everyone knows that the accused will get bail if the chargesheet is not filed in the court within 60 days of registering the case. Besides, Sultan Bathery DySP, who is known as an upright officer was transferred to Tirur, when the probe was midway. All these were part of scuttling the case. It’s part of government agenda to derail the probe against Augustine brothers,” alleged N Badusha, WPSS president. 

He said that the CrPC Section related to  causing damage to public property was removed from the charges against the accused as it would make them pay crores of rupees as compensation. “The probe into the thousands of trees felled across the state has reached nowhere. No inquiry has been conducted on the controversial revenue circular and the conspiracy behind it which facilitated the tree-felling. Top officials and former ministers were not questioned,” he said. 

WPSS said that a CBI probe or a Vigilance probe under the supervision of High Court will only bring the truth in the issue. The Greens called for widespread public protest against sabotaging of probe. WPSS leaders Thomas Ambalavayal, C A Gopalakrishnan, among others, spoke. Though the court had given bail in the main case, the accused were not released from jail as there are other cases against them.

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