Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 28 (IANS): Kerala Forest Minister, Shibu Baby John, on Monday called for a probe into the alleged conspiracy behind the Muttil tree-felling case, including the circumstances in which the controversial order issued by then Revenue Secretary Dr A. Jayathilak, came into force.
The minister said he had asked the Home Minister to examine the circumstances surrounding Jayathilak’s order and other allegations that have surfaced in the case.
The government will also examine the revelations made by former Public Prosecutor Joseph Mathew, he said.
The development comes after the former Public Prosecutor raised serious questions over the Forest Department’s handling of the case and termed the chargesheet “weak”.
Mathew had questioned why only one chargesheet had been filed when 49 cases had been registered in connection with the tree felling case.
Forest Minister Shibu said the chargesheet submitted in the Muttil case had been returned by the court with corrections.
He said there were several mysterious circumstances surrounding the case and that the allegations raised by the former prosecutor needed to be examined.
The minister also disclosed that he had received an email complaint alleging that the accused had held a conspiracy meeting at a television channel office and that another journalist was a witness to it.
He said the allegation would also have to be investigated.
“There have been lapses on the part of officials in the Muttil tree-felling case,” Forest Minister Shibu said.
He added that it needed to be examined whether the previous government had created circumstances that helped the accused escape legal action.
The minister said he had directed that a report be submitted on whether the lapses in the chargesheet were deliberate.
The latest move puts the administrative decisions behind the controversial revenue secretary’s order under fresh scrutiny.
The order, issued in October 2020, permitted the cutting of trees on assigned land but was allegedly used to facilitate the large-scale felling and transportation of protected trees, including teak and rosewood, from several parts of Kerala.
In Muttil under the Meppadi forest range in Wayanad, rosewood worth around Rs 14 crore was allegedly felled and transported illegally.
Jayathilak, who was Revenue Principal Secretary when the order was issued, later went on to become Chief Secretary before retiring.
His instructions, file notes and the circumstances surrounding the order are now expected to come under examination.
The Augustine brothers Roji, Anto and Josekutty are among the principal accused in the tree-felling cases.
The police have filed chargesheets in 36 cases, while the Forest Department recently filed its first chargesheet.
Forest Minister Shibu also said the government would not be deterred by threats or what he described as blackmailing journalism, signalling that the probe into the controversial episode could widen further.
