A bench of Justice C S Dias directed the Chottanikkara trial court to commence the trial on Sept 22 and dispose of the case within six months
The prosecution opposed the plea, submitting that the petitioner was a history-sheeter accused in 37 similar crimes and that the cases arose from different police stations and involved distinct offences. The court also directed the investigating officer in the Meppadi forest range case to file the final report by Sept 18 for further proceedings. The court accepted the prosecution’s contention and dismissed the petition.
Additionally, the court vacated its earlier order restraining the filing of the final report in a case related to the Muttil mass tree-felling incident, enabling the investigating officer to submit the final report before the Sultan Bathery magistrate court.
a bench of Justice C S Dias directed the Chottanikkara trial court to commence the trial on Sept 22 and dispose of the case within six months While dismissing the petition. The case pending before the Chottanikkara magistrate court arose from a complaint filed by M M Aliyar of Karimukal in Ernakulam, alleging that he paid Rs 1.40 crore for timber after Augustine claimed that he had valid forest permissions. the required permit under the Kerala Promotion of Tree Growth on Non-Forest Land Rules, 2006, was not furnished Although 54 timber logs were delivered with a Form-IV pass.
The two cases were intrinsically intertwined and proceedings under the Land Conservancy Act would establish that the timber was not forest produce, according to Augustine. The timber was later seized, and a case was registered under the Kerala Forest Act and Transit Rules. Another case was registered against Augustine and his brothers for the alleged illegal mass felling of trees in the Meppadi forest range in Wayanad.
Kochi: The high court has dismissed a petition filed by Roji Augustine, the prime accused in the Muttil mass tree-felling case in Wayanad, seeking to stay further proceedings in a connected cheating case pending before the Chottanikkara magistrate court until the final report is filed in the mass tree-felling case. That case is pending before the Sultan Bathery magistrate court. He contended that proceeding with the cheating case before the forest investigation was concluded would prejudice him.