Research scholar wins against government without lawyers; 22.5 lakhs to be paid to Maymol Pynadath Davis should be deposited in High Court

KOCHI: PhD student Maymol is happy to have won her case against the Forest Department in the High Court without lawyers. Out of Rs 45 lakhs, Rs 22.5 lakhs was paid as the first instalment and the order was to deposit the remaining amount in the High Court within two weeks. The order was made by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Harishankar V. Menon on the 18th.

Maymol Pynadath Davis, a native of Thrikkariyoor, Kothamangalam, fought for a year and a half without lawyers for compensation for the land handed over to the Forest Department under the Rebuild Kerala Development Program (RKDP) due to wildlife attacks.

Maymol and her cancer-stricken mother Molly, along with 155 families from the Thrikkariyoor and Kurbanappara areas, expressed their willingness to transfer the land. The application filed on August 22, 2023, was not acted upon. While the other applicants hesitated, Maymol approached the High Court. She argued the case without a lawyer. All 22 deficiencies found by the registry in the petition were resolved.

The single bench ruled that the forest department should pay the entire amount within three months. However, the forest department tried to acquire the land by paying 22.5 lakhs out of 45 lakhs. Maymol filed a contempt petition against this. Despite the favourable verdict, the forest department violated it. When the court was approached again, the forest department filed a review petition. Maymol's appeal against it was successful. The petitioner can receive the amount after registering the land ownership documents with the forest department.

📚 Land Exchange Scheme

The Rebuild Kerala Development Programme is a scheme launched by the state government in 2018. The scheme aims to acquire the land of non-tribals living in forest areas where wildlife attacks repeat and rehabilitate them by paying compensation.

Thrikkariyoor Pynadath native Maymol (35) is the daughter of the late Davis and Molly. She has a post-graduate degree in history and archaeology and has passed NET. After Davis's death, only the mother and daughter lived on the farm, which was infested with wild animals.