Kerala high court
The case registered by the Meppadi range forest officer against them for the illegal mass felling of trees in South Muttil in the Meppadi forest range of Wayanad district had not yet been concluded, according to the petitioner. Aliyar was allegedly made to believe that the timber was accompanied by the requisite passes issued by the forest department. The present cheating case arose from the same incident. However, the bench of Justice C S Dias, while considering the petition, noted that the petitioner had not approached the trial court for the relief sought and had instead approached the HC directly. The bench held that the petition was not maintainable and dismissed it, directing the petitioner to approach the trial court for the relief.
The case pending before the Chottanikkara court against the petitioner was that he, along with his brothers, Anto and Jose Kutty, had allegedly cheated M M Aliyar of Karimukal in Ernakulam by selling him timber allegedly felled and transported illegally from the area under the Meppadi forest range in Wayanad district. Accordingly, the petitioner sought a stay of further trial proceedings in the case before the Chottanikkara magistrate court until the investigation was completed. Kochi: The high court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by Roji Augustine, the prime accused in the Muttil mass tree-felling cases in Wayanad, seeking a stay of the ongoing trial in a related cheating case before the Chottanikkara magistrate court, and directed him to approach the trial court for relief.