The Kerala High Court on Thursday (November 5) nominated five persons, who could form part of the Special Task Force (STF) proposed to be constituted to tackle the large-scale issue of government land encroachments in Munnar and other parts of Idukki district.

The Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Basant Balaji, which is dealing with Munnar matters, today perused a proceedings of the government dated November 4 wherein 9 names have been suggested to be part of the task force proposed.

It then suggested the names of the following persons:

"We nominate Sri. S. Shamsudeen IPS, Superintendent of Police, Kerala Books and Publication Society, Sri. Sanoop S., KAS, Deputy Collector (RR, District Collectorate, Kollam), Sri. Deepak Mishra, Principal Conservator of Forests, Forest Management, Trivandrum and Sri. A.K. Manoj, Survey Superintendent (ALC Office), Devikulam, Idukki as being members of the STF...The STF will be headed by Sri. V.R. Vinod IAS, Additional Secretary, PWD, Government Secretariat and he will be responsible to ensure that the force meets and works uninterruptedly, continuously and complete the tasks that we are going to entrust with him."

The development comes in a batch of matters, including a public interest litigation raising the issue of large-scale illegal encroachments and forged pattas in respect to various parts of Idukki district, including Munnar, Vagamon, etc. In 2024, the Court had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inspect the veracity of pattas, a Digital Survey Team to conduct digital survey of the areas and a Monitoring Committee to monitor the other teams.

"We will not go against any genuine land owner but we cannot sit over this for a century. For this, we need a protocol to verify," the Bench orally said.

It further directed the State government to ensure that the members of the STF is given infrastructure, work force and other necessities to enable it to act effectively:

"Needless to say it will be the full responsibility of the competent authority of the Government, to ensure that the Special Task Force is able to act effectively with necessary infrastructure, personnel, modes of transport and such other. This shall be done ensuring that they not entrusted with any other work during the period when they are in the process of preparing the SOP/Protocol."

Last month, the Court felt that Monitoring Committee can be replaced with the STF, whose members would not be entrusted with any other work. Today, it further clarified:

"As regards the Monitoring Committee constituted by this Court, its functioning has been impaired because the officers included in it were not given exclusive responsibilities or powers. We therefore propose, subject to the contentions of the counsels for the parties, that the STF that we have now constituted will step into their shoes with or without additional members and other modifications...our orders herein do not impede the rights of the SIT already in force, or that of the Digital Survey Team, and they will continue to do what they are expected to do without any hindrance or break."

The Court also clarified that the primary task of the STF would be to prepare a protocol or Standard Operating Procedure after collating the suggestions made by previous committees and officers of the government while also including its own important inputs:

"As matters now stand, we want the Special Task Force to immediately go through the recommendations of the various committees and all other relevant documents and prepare a proper protocol/SOP with respect to every aspect of lands and extents in Idukki district with specific emphasis on the registers and the documentation in each of the Revenue and Village offices. We also record a submission of the AAG that the STF may also be requested to make recommendations as to how the documents already available be preserved, protected and maintained. We order them to keep this also in mind...We thus order the STF to make available the protocol/SOP not later than December 10, 2026."

The Bench made it clear that the STF shall have the duty to inform the amicus curiae about its activities and shall have the liberty to seek his inputs, which must be duly incorporated :

"As far as the functioning of the STF for the above purpose is concerned, we leave them full liberty to have any consultation process with any authority or officer, and they shall at all times keep the learned amicus curiae of this Court, Shri Harish Vasudevan, informed of their activities. We also leave our liberty to the learned amicus curiae to offer his inputs to the STF as and when it becomes necessary and any such will be adverted to and taken into account by them."

Senior Advocate P.V. Dinesh, who is appearing for the petitioner in one of the cases submitted that criminal cases registered against alleged land encroachers must be taken to a logical conclusion. The Court said that this can be considered after getting the SIT report.

The cases are posted to next Thursday (November 12) for further consideration.

Counsel for the petitioners: P.V. Dinesh (Sr.), Praveen S., Daisy A. Philipose

Counsel for the respondents: K.C. Vincent – Additional Advocate General, Raphael Thekkan – Government Pleader

Amicus Curiae: Harish Vasudevan