Govt. can take over law academy land: report

Recommendation to remove hotel and bank from college campus

K. Muraleedharan, MLA, concluding his fast before the Law Academy by having tender coconut water given jointly by Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala and V M Sudheeran following the amicable settlement reached by the Striking students and Management, in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday

: Principal Secretary (Revenue and Housing) P.H. Kurian has recommended the resumption of a portion of the land, possessed by the Kerala Law Academy Law College, and an inquiry into possible alterations made in the society’s Memorandum of Association (MoA) after the land assignment.

The report, submitted by Mr. Kurian to Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan, includes four recommendations which have been made on the basis of the findings of officials who were entrusted with the inspection.

Violation of terms

The report recommended to direct the District Collector to resume the land on which the building, which houses a restaurant and a branch of the Kerala State Cooperative Bank functioned, stood (within the college premises) as it was found to be used for commercial purposes in violation of the condition of assignment. About 3,000 sq.ft. of space in the academy complex building was found to have been utilised in this manner.

The government had also been urged to order the eviction of the academy’s main gate, which was found to be constructed on a ‘puramboke’ road, leading to the pumping station of Kerala Water Authority.

The government had been recommended to direct the District Registrar, Thiruvananthapuram, to conduct a detailed inquiry to ascertain whether any substantial alterations had been made in the MoA after the assignment of land in 1984 and if whether they were done “following the due process of law and were within the limits of law.”

In addition, the government had been advised to examine the possibility of resuming the unutilised land, by invoking Rule 8(3) of the KLA Rules 1964, in consultation with the Law Department.

The recommendation had been made owing to the absence of any condition of time limit for the use of the assigned land.

The revenue team had found 3.50 acres of land to be totally unutilised. Besides, out of the 11.53 acres, possessed by the academy, only 1.02 acres were found to be used as the main academic area. The rest of the land was found to be utilised in a ‘very liberal way.’

Changes in bylaw

While changes in bylaws and regulations of the society were possible, such modifications were not easily traceable in the office of the District Registrar, the report stated.