Wayanad family continues decades-long protest for 12 acres of land
K K James has been protesting outside the Wayanad Collectorate for over 4,000 days regarding a land dispute dating back to 1976.
A family in Wayanad has been fighting for 12 acres of land for nearly five decades, according to a report by South First. K K James, who took over the legal battle after the death of his father-in-law George, has been protesting outside the Wayanad Collectorate since 15 August 2015.
The dispute began after the Kanjirathinal family purchased the land in 1967 from the Kuttanadan Cardamom Company. The family maintains the property was Janmam land and should not have been taken by the government under the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971.
The Forest Department allegedly attached the property and destroyed crops in 1972. Although the Kozhikode Forest Tribunal ruled in the family's favour in 1978, the Forest Department challenged this in the High Court. James alleges that officials used fake evidence to secure a verdict for the department in 1985.
The family was evicted and their house was demolished by the Forest Department in 2008. James is now attempting to use Right to Information (RTI) applications to find the house number of the demolished building to prove the property was a homestead.
More than a month ago, two ministers promised to appoint a retired Kerala High Court judge to examine the case, but the appointment has not happened. James, his wife Treesa, and their two children continue to protest as they seek a resolution to the long-standing dispute.