High Court expresses dissatisfaction with handling of Munnar land grab case, says CBI investigation will be required

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday expressed its deep displeasure at the delay in action in the cases registered by the police and vigilance on land encroachments in the Munnar region. A division bench comprising Justice A Muhammad Mushtaq and Justice S Manu observed that the investigation would have to be handed over to the CBI. The court also directed the government to disclose the details of the land grab cases in which it lost in court. The court will consider the matter again today. The court will decide on matters such as handing over the case to the CBI after examining these details.

Although hundreds of cases have been registered in connection with the Munnar encroachments, the accused officials have only been charged with forgery and criminal conspiracy. The court also criticized that cases were not registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

"The submission of the final report was delayed for years in many cases. The government did not file appeals when it lost cases in the courts. No strong action was taken even against those who are said to be the main accused in the encroachment cases. It was not investigated whether the officers involved in the cases made any financial gain. The truth will not be discovered in this case if state agencies conduct an investigation. The case will have to be handed over to the CBI," the court said.