23-Year Legal Battle Ends as Keralam Govt Clears Rs 12.5 Lakh Compensation for Teacher

The Keralam government has sanctioned Rs 12.5 lakh in compensation to a teacher who alleged custodial torture by police following the 2003 Muthanga tribal land agitation in Wayanad, officials said on Saturday.

A Home Department order issued on October 8 directed the State Police Chief to release the amount to K K Surendran, a senior lecturer at the District Institute of Education and Training in Sulthan Bathery at the time of the incident. It also directed the recovery of the compensation from the personal assets of two former police officers held responsible for his illegal arrest and custodial torture.

The Muthanga agitation was led by the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha in 2003 to demand land for landless tribal families, following an unfulfilled promise by the then United Democratic Front government. The protest turned violent on February 19, 2003, when police and forest officials launched an operation to evict tribal families occupying forest land inside the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary.

Surendran alleged that he was forcibly taken from his staff room on February 22, 2003, and assaulted at the Sulthan Bathery police station. He was named in three cases linked to the agitation but was subsequently given a clean chit by the CBI and removed from the list of accused in all three cases.

He later filed a suit seeking Rs 15,00,647 for illegal arrest, custodial torture, reputational damage and other losses.

The Sub Court in Sulthan Bathery initially awarded him Rs 5 lakh, with three per cent annual interest. The Additional District Court-II in Kalpetta dismissed appeals filed by the state government and the officers, enhancing the compensation to Rs 12.5 lakh with six per cent annual interest from the date of filing the original suit.

The appellate court also directed recovery of the amount from former Sub Inspector P Viswambaran and former Circle Inspector V Devaraj, jointly and severally.

The government has decided to comply with the judgment instead of pursuing further appeals. Surendran said he had fought for justice for 23 years and thanked those who supported his struggle.