No ownership rights over Cheruvally estate; Sabarimala airport project in limbo, setback for govt

KOTTAYAM: The Kerala government has suffered a setback in a petition regarding ownership of the Cheruvally Estate, identified for the proposed Sabarimala Greenfield airport project. The Pala Sub Court observed that the government has no ownership rights over the estate. The verdict was delivered in a case filed between the state government and the charitable trust Gospel for Asia.

The government had initially issued a notification to acquire 2,570 acres, including Cheruvally Estate in Erumeli’s Manimala village and surrounding areas, for the airport. This notification had earlier been quashed by a High Court single bench. Issued on April 25, the notification allowed landowners to submit objections. The court questioned why such a vast area was being acquired when even a major airport requires only around 1,200 acres.

Cheruvally Estate is owned by the Ayana Charitable Trust. The former Kottayam Collector had approached the court claiming that the land held by the trust had expired lease rights, making it government property. However, Justice C. Jayachandra noted that under the 2013 land acquisition law, only the minimum land required for a project should be acquired-a key requirement that was ignored, marking a legal lapse.

The court also referenced existing airports for context: Cochin International Airport occupies 1,300 acres, while Thiruvananthapuram Airport spans 700 acres. In this light, it questioned the government’s decision to acquire 2,570 acres for the proposed Sabarimala airport. While the government argued that the extra land was intended for future development, it could not clearly explain the specific plans or justify the amount of land needed.