Now Reading: Third Muttil tree-felling accused surrenders in Kerala court
-
01
Third Muttil tree-felling accused surrenders in Kerala court
Roji Augustine, the first accused in a cheating case linked to the Muttil tree-felling scandal, surrendered before the Chottanikkara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ernakulam on Thursday. His brothers, Jose Kutty…
The Story in Brief
Roji Augustine, the first accused in a cheating case linked to the Muttil tree-felling scandal, surrendered before the Chottanikkara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ernakulam on Thursday. His brothers, Jose Kutty Augustine and Anto Augustine, the second and third accused, had surrendered two days earlier after the court issued non-bailable warrants against them. All warrants have now been recalled, and the three must appear in court on August 18 for framing of charges.
The prosecution case, reported by The Hindu, is that the accused cheated timber trader M. M. Aliyar of Rs 1.4 crore by offering to sell 54 pieces of timber from illegally felled trees in the Meppadi Forest Range of Wayanad. Aliyar alerted the Forest department, which confirmed the illegal sale and confiscated the timber in February 2021. The three brothers are also key accused in a larger case involving the alleged smuggling of protected rosewood and teak worth Rs 8 crore from assigned lands in Muttil South.
The Indian Opinion
The Muttil case pits private property rights against forest protection laws, but the accused must answer why they allegedly took Rs 1.4 crore as advance without valid permits. The narrative of a 'timber mafia' thrives on such vague allegations. A concrete test: the court will decide on August 18 whether the prosecution can prove the timber was illegally cut, not merely transported without paperwork. That evidence will settle whether this is cheating or regulatory confusion.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
