AKG Centre Row: Kerala High Court Seeks State's Stand On Kerala University Ex-Registrar's Plea Alleging CPI(M)'s Encroachment Of Varsity Land

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (January 22) directed the State to file a counter responding to the public interest litigation preferred by Kerala University ex-Joint Registrar, challenging the assignment of the University's land to AKG Centre for Research and Studies in the year 1977.

In the plea, it is mentioned that though only 15 cents is stated to have been assigned by the government order, the AKG Centre and CPI(M) are in possession of more than 55 cents of land, including the University property and government puramboke.

The plea also makes a case that the afore government order could not be traced out by the Village Officer, District Collector or the Department of Archeology.

The State told the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M., that the dispute regarding the extent of land is subject to verification and that a counter-affidavit in this regard would be filed.

The Bench then granted 3 weeks' time to the State to file its counter but did not issue notice to the party respondents.

"You file an affidavit. We are not passing any interim order at this stage...We are only asking the government to file an affidavit for the time being," it orally observed.

The senior counsel appearing for the petitioner then told the Court that there is no document evidencing the purported transfer and the State's counter should address this aspect as well.

"Obviously, they have to justify the transfer. So that document has to be there," Justice Sen remarked.

The petition is moved by Senior Advocate George Poonthottam and, Advocates Nisha George and Akshara Raju.

Case No: WP(PIL) 12/ 2026

Case Title: R.S. Sasikumar v. State of Kerala and Ors.