Kochi: The Kerala High Court has taken strong exception to the procedural delay in the cases filed by the police and the Vigilance in connection with the land encroachment in Munnar regions. It also observed that the case will have to be handed over to the CBI. 

Directing the State to share information on the land encroachment cases it had lost in courts, the High Court has said it would take the matter on Wednesday again. The Division Bench, comprising Justice Mohammed Mushtaq and Justice S Manu, said it would also take a decision on the CBI investigation on Wednesday.

The court was considering the petitions filed by an NGO, One Earth One Life, seeking the removal of encroachments in the Munnar region. Although hundreds of cases were filed in this connection, the accused officials were charged with minor offences, such as criminal conspiracy and forgery of deeds, the court observed. It also pointed out that no Sections of Anti-Corruption Laws were charged against any of them.

There was a huge delay in submitting the final reports in many cases. No appeal was even filed in cases where the government had lost in courts. No action was taken even against the main accused. No probe was done to check if the accused officials had made any financial gains. In this context, a probe by State officials will not be enough and hence it should be handed over to the CBI, the high court bench observed.