Kerala High Court orders dedicated STF to tackle Munnar land encroachments

The Kerala High Court directed the state to form a dedicated STF against Munnar land encroachments. The move seeks to revive stalled recommendations and secure government properties.Kochi,Oct 24, 2026 18:04 ISTThe Kerala High Court has directed the state government to set up a dedicated, high-level Special Task Force (STF) to investigate land encroachments and ensure full control over government land and properties in Munnar and nearby villages in Idukki district, Press Trust of India reported.A Division Bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Basant Balaji issued the direction on October 22 while hearing a batch of long-pending writ petitions and contempt proceedings concerning land in the region. The court expressed concern over the lack of concrete action despite years of official reports and legal proceedings.The Bench noted that several reports and action plans submitted between 2003 and 2010 had not led to action. These included reports by the then Additional Chief Secretary, the Additional Director General of Police, a committee headed by the Revenue Secretary and the Idukki district collector.“Unfortunately, reports after reports are remaining in the back-burner, without any concrete action being taken. The apparent confusion on account of multiple reports is also taken advantage of by vested interests,” the Bench observed. It said continued delays could leave the issue unresolved for years unless the recommendations in the earlier reports were implemented. The proposed STF will include senior officers from the Revenue and Police departments and representatives of other relevant government departments. The court also considered suggestions from amicus curiae Harish Vasudevan about the team's composition and functioning.The Bench directed that officers assigned to the STF be relieved of their other duties for at least six months so that they could focus exclusively on the task. It said the team should “examine and implement the recommendations in the reports; and complete requisite actions” to ensure full control over the land and properties concerned. The court said the STF would have “much larger and comprehensive responsibilities” than the existing Special Investigation Team, which is investigating cases involving fake and fraudulent land title deeds, known as pattayams.Additional Advocate General K C Vincent, assisted by Government Pleader Raphael Thekkan, told the court that the state government was willing to constitute a high-level task force to “bring order and control over the properties in the districts and villages in question”, PTI reported.Senior counsel P V Dinesh and advocate Daisy A Philipose, appearing for the petitioners, sought urgent intervention. They argued that further delays and repeated exercises to collect reports would worsen the situation.Vasudevan told the court that earlier monitoring committees had failed to produce results because their members were burdened with routine administrative duties. He suggested that experienced administrators, including former Idukki district collectors and officers associated with the Special Investigation Team, be considered for the dedicated task force.The High Court directed the state government to submit a list of officers who could work exclusively with the STF when the petitions are heard again on October 29. The court will examine the proposed names and issue further directions on the team's composition, powers and working framework.The proposed STF will, therefore, be tasked with acting on earlier reports, addressing land encroachments and securing government control over properties in Munnar and nearby villages, with its final structure to be considered at the next hearing.- Ends