Kalpetta: In a significant legal setback for the accused in the Muttil tree felling case, the Wayanad District Additional Court has dismissed the appeals filed against the Forest Department’s action to confiscate illegally felled timber. The appeals were submitted by the Augustine brothers, who are among the key accused in the case, challenging the seizure of timber in connection with large-scale tree cutting in the region.
The Forest Department had confiscated timber from 104 trees that were cut down, and the accused contended before the court that the timber was their private property and not government-owned. They sought the return of the seized wood, arguing that the felling was carried out based on official permission. However, the court rejected this claim, observing that the trees were cut relying on an unlawful order and that no legal right could be asserted over timber obtained through such means.
The court further noted that the government had subsequently amended the controversial order and issued a revised directive, making it clear that trees felled under the earlier illegal provision could not be reclaimed from the Forest Department. As a result, the demand for the return of the confiscated timber was found to be without merit.
The Muttil tree felling incident, which occurred during 2020–21, involved the large-scale destruction of trees worth several crores of rupees in Wayanad. Altogether, twelve cases were registered in connection with the incident, with the Augustine brothers named as accused in multiple cases. Investigators allege that the felling was carried out under the cover of a 2020 government order that permitted farmers to remove naturally grown or planted trees on land granted with title deeds after 1964.
Subsequent DNA analysis revealed that the destruction was not limited to permitted species, but included protected trees estimated to be over 500 years old, exposing the extent of the environmental damage. The Forest Department was represented in court by District Government Pleader Advocate Jayapramod, who argued in support of the confiscation.
With the dismissal of the appeals, the court’s ruling reinforces the Forest Department’s authority to retain timber obtained through illegal felling and marks a crucial development in the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding one of Wayanad’s most controversial environmental cases.