Thodupuzha: Days after the authorities deprived former parliamentarian Joice George and his family of the ownership rights of acres of land at Kottakkamboor village in Kerala's Idukki district, the Crime Branch has filed a charge-sheet against Kerala Power Minister M M Mani’s close relatives for encroaching government property at nearby Chinnakanal.
The Crime Branch had found that Mani's brother M M Lambodaran and the other accused had claimed 3 acres and 98 cents of government land at Venattuthavalam near Chinnakanal using forged documents.
Lambodaran's brother-in-law P A Rajendran is the first accused, while Lambodaran is the second accused in the case. In all 24 people, including 22 revenue officials, have been named as accused. Five of these officials, including a woman official, are dead. Revenue officials have also been accused of forging documents.
Lambodaran and his kin altered revenue documents and the took ownership of the government land worth crores of rupees, as per the charge-sheet.
The forgery was committed during 2004-05. The documents in the village office were torn off and replaced with fake names, as per the charge-sheet submitted at the Nedumkandam first-class magistrate court.
Lambodaran had then brought this land from Rajendran on December 21, 2004. The Crime Branch also found that Lambodaran conducted mutation of property by influencing the revenue officials on January 10, 2005. He then transferred the title deed of the land in the name of his son M L Lejeesh on October 8, 2006.
It was found that the then assistant of Chinnakanal village office aided the land encroachers in fudging the revenue documents.
The case was initially probed by the Shanthanpara police.
In 2007, the then Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan had entrusted a group of officers to remove encroachments from Munnar. In the ensuing scrutiny, the Crime Branch found the land dealings of Lambodaran and a probe was initiated after filing a case.
Mani, who was then the CPM Idukki district secretary, had openly opposed Achuthanandan's decision to remove the encroachments.
Probe on for 12 years
The Crime Branch submitted the charge-sheet on Monday after a probe that went on for 12 years. As many as 13 officers probed the case during this period. As several of the officers were transferred at crucial junctures in the case, the submission of the charge-sheet got delayed.
Chinnakanal region falls under the Devikulam block in Idukki.
The Crime Branch has to submit charge-sheets in two more land grab cases at Chinnakanal.
Mani feigns ignorance
Meanwhile, Minister Mani has said that he did not have any information on the charge-sheet filed against his brother in the land grab case.
"I do not know anything," the minister said, while cautioning reporters on asking him 'needless' questions.
