The Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed a state government notification expediting steps to acquire land for the proposed greenfield Sabarimala airport.
A single bench of Justice Viju Abraham passed the interim order on a plea by the Ayana Charitable Trust and its managing trustee Siny Punnoose
The Ayana Charitable Trust and its managing trustee Siny Punnoose, in their petition, alleged that the land acquisition process was aimed at illegally taking over their property.
The Trust and its managing trustee Siny Punnoose alleged that the land acquisition process was aimed at illegally taking over their property — a rubber plantation measuring around 2,263 acres.
The state government had earlier said that the Sabarimala Greenfield airport will make it convenient for pilgrims coming from other states to reach the hill-top shrine of Lord Ayyappa in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. It said that having an airport there would also promote tourism and boost the economy.
In its preliminary notification dated March 13, 2024, the government mandated the acquisition of 1000.28 hectares of land for the airport endeavour. This included 441 land parcels from 47 survey numbers in blocks 19, 21, 22, and 23 of Erumeli South and Manimala villages, along with 2264.09 acres of the Cheruvally Estate. The notification was issued under Section 11(1) of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act.
In July 2020, the High Court had halted the government’s move to acquire Cheruvally Estate for the project in response to a plea by the Ayana Trust. Subsequently, the state government informed the High Court that it possessed title over the property and that the trust had no ownership rights
The Sabarimala airport project has been marred in controversy after people raised protests against land acquisition