File photo of the Muthanga land agitation in Wayanad.
The Principal District and Sessions Court, Kalpetta, Wayanad, will deliver its long-awaited verdict on Friday (July 31, 2026) in the case concerning the alleged killing of police constable K.V. Vinod during the Muthanga land agitation in 2003.After hearing the final arguments in the primary trial, Judge E. Ayyoobkhan posted the case to July 31 for pronouncing the verdict. The case was investigated and prosecuted directly by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).The case pertains to events on February 19, 2003, when armed police and forest officials moved into the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary to forcibly evict hundreds of landless indigenous families. The tribal families had occupied reserved forest land under the banner of the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS), demanding long-promised land distribution.The incidentAccording to the CBI’s chargesheet, constable Vinod and a forest officer were captured during clashes at Thakarappadi in the Gowdanvayal area. Prosecution lawyers argued that Vinod was dragged into a makeshift shed and subjected to severe physical assault while he was held in illegal captivity by protesters resisting eviction. Though eventually rescued by police forces, Vinod succumbed to critical injuries.The clash also resulted in the death of a tribal protester, Jogi, who was allegedly killed in police firing.ChargesheetsAfter the case was handed over to the CBI, the agency filed three separate chargesheets, naming AGMS leaders M. Geethanandan and C.K. Janu along with dozens of tribal activists. In the primary case filed at the Kalpetta Sessions Court, the accused were charged mainly under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 363 (kidnapping), 120A (criminal conspiracy), and 148 (armed rioting) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The second case was also filed before the Kalpetta Court and related to rioting, unlawful assembly, taking public servants hostage, confronting law enforcement agencies, and possessing weapons inside the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary.The third chargesheet was filed separately at the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Ernakulam regarding the wider Muthanga tribal uprising, covering charges of arson, forest fires, and related destruction of property.In all, there were a total of nine cases, six of which related to forest offences. The First Class Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Sulthan Bathery delivered its verdict in all six cases and acquitted all the accused.Defence argumentThroughout trial proceedings in the primary case, defence counsel T.M. Rasheed challenged the CBI chargesheet. He argued that no direct eyewitnesses were present inside the shed when the alleged assault occurred. Journalists, bystanders, and key witnesses were stationed over 50 metres away, where visibility was severely obscured by tear gas canisters, smoke, and continuous gunfire.Of the original 57 accused in the murder case, 15 passed away due to age or illness before the verdict could be delivered.“The Muthanga uprising is one of the most significant and historic modern tribal land struggles in India’s post-Independence history. The legal outcome will also prove crucial in addressing the grievances surrounding Indigenous land rights in Kerala,” Mr. Rasheed said. Published - July 30, 2026 03:30 pm IST
Discussion (0)