Muttil tree felling case: Kerala HC reserves verdict on accused's plea

The Kerala High Court has reserved its verdict on the petition filed by the Augustine brothers, the accused in the Muttil tree felling case, seeking a stay of the trial proceedings before the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Chottanikkara. The High Court vacated the interim order on the proceedings to enable the investigating officer to file the final report within 10 days. A Single Bench of Justice C.S. Dias observed that the court's previous direction to file the final report in the Forest department's charges only after obtaining the High Court's permission was holding up the proceedings in both the Chottanikkara Court and the Sulthan Bathery Court. Roji Augustine, along with his brother Jose Kutty Augustine and Anto Augustine, had been accused in the offence registered by the Forest department before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Sulthan Bathery, regarding the illegal felling of protected rosewood trees in Muttil South village. Another case was lodged before the Chottanikkara court for allegedly committing fraud against M.M. Aliyar, proprietor of Malabar Timber Industries, by reportedly offering to sell him timber for ₹1.4 crore. The Director General of Prosecution, Asaf Ali, informed the court that the investigation in the forest offence was completed and the final report could be filed within the prescribed time. The High Court had earlier dismissed a discharge petition by the accused in the cheating case, in which they argued that no permit was required to transport the timber sold. Mr. Aliyar contended that he was led to believe that the sale of timber was lawful. The High Court found no merit in the contentions of the accused, noting that the Forest department's investigation had revealed that the accused had no authority to transport or sell the timber. Published- September 08, 2026 10:05 pm IST