Legal battle of economically weak family in vain: Cochin Devaswom fails to acquire temple land despite High Court order

KOCHI: It has been 20 years since the Cochin Devaswom Board began to be inactive on the High Court order to acquire 4.81 acres of land that a poor family had won through a legal battle for their favourite deity, despite knowing that they would lose their own house. The land belonging to the Azhakiyakaavu Bhagavathy temple on the Ramankutty Bhagavatar Road, north of Palluruthy Thazhup is worth more than Rs 50 crore. Despite the existence of temple ruins on this land, which is about two kilometers away from the temple, the board has not bothered to check.

The division bench comprising Justices S. Shankarasubban and K. R. Udayabhanu ordered on March 5, 2005, that the land should be acquired by evicting the encroachers as soon as possible through the District Collector, through the Land Conservation Act. The order said that the process should not be delayed, although it may not be possible to evict some of those who had purchased purchase certificates from the Land Tribunal.

The case was filed by M.K. Narayanan, his son Babu Mohan and his daughter-in-law Jalaja Babu Mohan, natives of Palluruthy. All 20 encroachers were parties to the case. None of them appealed to the Supreme Court. Although the verdict was favourable, Narayan and Babu died without seeing any results. Jalaja is the only one living in the house that is about to collapse. She continues to live in the dilapidated house, thinking that if she moves, this land will also be encroached upon.

The board did not investigate or take any action, even after the purchase certificate was bought without the knowledge of the Devaswom. The house of Babu, a Scheduled Caste member who was a member of the temple advisory committee, is also on the same land. The family decided that Bhagavathy's land should not be encroached upon even if they lost their house. It was a devotee who lives nearby who fought a legal battle in the High Court twice to overturn the orders of the Fort Kochi RDO, which converted 4.45 acres of the temple's 9.5 acres of land into revenue land.

I am staying here to see the victory of my husband and father-in-law in their fight. The Cochin Devaswom Board has no interest in implementing the verdict. - Jalaja Mohan

Not noticed. Will investigate and take necessary action.

- K.Raveendran, President

Cochin Devaswom Board