Forest Department withdraws case against farmer over tree felling on ‘patta’ land

The Forest Department of Kerala announced the withdrawal of a legal case against farmer Chackochan, who had been charged with felling trees on his own patta land in Pandippara, Idukki. The decision came after Forest Minister Shibu Baby John intervened and instructed officials to restore the seized property.

The farmer had cut two jackfruit trees, one mango tree and a yellow trumpet (pathiri) tree. Authorities had initially assessed a loss of ₹4,000 and seized timber valued at ₹15,607 along with tools worth ₹2,200. The case was filed at the Kattappana section office under the Ayyappancoil forest range. Under the Kerala Land Assignment Special Rules, 1993 and the Kerala Preservation of Trees Act, 1986, action can be taken only against ten specific tree species, none of which were among those the farmer removed.

The withdrawal underscores that the trees felled were not covered by the protected species list, highlighting the legal distinction between private land rights and forest conservation statutes. The minister’s directive to return the timber and tools aims to reassure landowners that enforcement will focus solely on the species specified in the preservation act, while also clarifying the scope of departmental authority.