New Delhi: Kerala has requested more time to file an affidavit in the ongoing case relating to complete lease of cardamom land in Idukki district. The delay was attributed to the state's Chief Secretary, Sarada Muraleedharan, being occupied with her daughter's wedding. The request was submitted to the Supreme Court, explaining the reason for the delay.
Justice B.R. Gavai, who oversees forest and environment related cases, has instructed the state government to clarify the extent of cardamom lease land in Idukki. The Supreme Court had previously granted Kerala eight weeks to provide information. At the time the order was issued, Dr. V. Venu was the Chief Secretary. Following his retirement on August 31, his wife, Sarada Muraleedharan took over.
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Dr. Venu and Sarada's daughter got married on September 20 in Chennai. In the petition, Kerala cited the wedding as the reason for the Chief Secretary's inability to file the affidavit. The state has requested an additional three weeks to submit the necessary documents.
Legal experts note that while the state has often sought extensions for various reasons, this is the first instance in recent history where a Chief Secretary has requested more time due to being preoccupied with a wedding. The Supreme Court had previously initiated contempt proceedings against Land Revenue Commissioner A. Kowsigan and Additional Secretary to the Principal Secretary T. R. Jayapal for failing to provide the file on cardamom lease land to the Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee. However, the court concluded the contempt proceedings after both officials appeared and expressed their regret.
Discrepancies in cardamom lease land figures: State versus amicus curiae
The state government has informed the Supreme Court that only 15,720 acres of cardamom lease land exist in Idukki, based on a gazette notification from August 24, 1897. However, the petitioner, One Earth One Life, disputes this figure, claiming it to be incorrect.
Amicus curiae and senior lawyer K. Parameshwar argued in the Supreme Court that the Travancore administration report records the area of cardamom lease land as 2,15,720 acres, which equates to approximately 344 square miles. This suggests a shortfall of around 2,00,000 acres based on the state's figures. The Supreme Court has requested more clarification from the government regarding the actual size of the land in question.
Published: 16 Oct 2024, 10:59 am IST
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