In a significant move to rectify a decades-old land controversy, the Kerala revenue department has completed the cancellation of the vast majority of illegal land titles issued in the ecologically sensitive Devikulam region of Idukki district. This action marks a crucial phase in the state's mission to undo the irregularities of the infamous "Raveendran Pattayam" scandal.
The Long Road to Cancellation
The scandal dates back to 1999 when former deputy tahsildar M I Raveendran allegedly issued land titles, or pattayams, by bypassing eligibility norms, fabricating applications, and exceeding his legal authority. These titles, spread across eight villages in Devikulam taluk, became a persistent flashpoint in the volatile land politics of the Munnar and Devikulam areas for over twenty years.
Following a multi-stage inquiry initiated by the previous Left government in 2019, the state finally ordered the annulment of titles found to be in violation of the Kerala Land Assignment Rules, 1964, and the Kannan Devan Hills (Reservation and Assignment of Vested Lands) Rules, 1977. To execute this massive clean-up, the government constituted a special 41-member revenue team in February 2022, drawing officials from 12 districts.
Progress Made and Pending Action
The meticulous scrutiny has yielded concrete results. Authorities have now taken action on 542 out of 546 disputed titles. Village-wise records confirm that the cancellation process is fully complete in Kunjithanni, Vellathooval, Kottakamboor, Marayoor, Kanthalloor, and Keezhanthoor. Only minimal action remains pending in the Kannan Devan Hills area and Vattavada villages, where two cases in each location are yet to be finalized.
Assuring that eligible occupants would not be dispossessed, the government opened a window for fresh applications. The revenue department has received 305 applications from affected villages seeking new, legally valid pattayams. Kunjithanni leads with 159 applications, followed by Vattavada (41), Vellathooval (33), Kottakampoor (32), and Kanthalloor (23). Notably, no applications have been received from the Kannan Devan Hills area or Munnar.
Legal Halt Stalls Promised Relief
Despite the progress in cancellations, the promised relief for eligible applicants has hit a major legal roadblock. The process of issuing fresh pattayams is now completely stalled due to an interim order issued by the Kerala High Court on January 10, 2024. The order, in WP(C) No. 1801/2010, stays all land assignments under the Kerala Land Assignment Rules, 1964, across Idukki district.
Revenue officials state that this judicial stay has prevented them from completing the final stage for cases already verified and cleared at the taluk level. While the second phase of verification has progressed in 72 cases, and fresh pattayams were issued in 69 cases prior to the stay, hundreds of families now remain in a state of uncertainty.
The Devikulam land title issue has long been a political hot potato in Idukki, with CPI and CPM leaders previously opposing blanket cancellations. The government has consistently maintained that the exercise aimed only to correct procedural lapses from over two decades ago, with a commitment to protect legitimate landholders through new pattayams.
However, with fresh allotments caught in this legal impasse, the wait for clarity on land rights continues for hundreds in Devikulam, prolonging a resolution that was initially promised within months of the clean-up drive's announcement.
