In Kerala’s Pothukallu panchayat, a rebel ward member is quietly doing what even MLAs don't dare to do. Dileep M S (39), once a CPM youth leader, has been waging legal battles to rebuild the flood- and landslide-hit ward -- one High Court order at a time.

His most audacious battle yet: pushing the state to compensate residents for the farmlands buried under the 2019 Kavalappara landslide -- a feat that could set legal precedent. On August 8, 2019, twin landslides ripped through Kavalappara in Malappuram and Puthumala in Wayanad, killing 46 and 17 people, respectively.

It was the Kavalappara tragedy -- and the 2018 floods before that -- that pushed Dileep to break with the CPM. Dileep's first court case was for Velayudhan O P, a 69-year-old blind man, and his wife who lost their home and one acre of farmland. When the government released the first instalment of Rs 1.05 lakh from the Rs 4 lakh aid, Kerala Gramin Bank deducted Rs 72,000 towards a Rs 2 lakh loan -- despite no record of default. Dileep changed the bank and crowdfunded a house for the couple. Three years later, the High Court ordered the government and the bank to consider Velayudhan's plea "as per law". He never got his money, but at least he has a roof now.

The second case exposed bigger rot. Thirty-four families from the Paniya tribe community in Pothukallu's Chalikkal colony lost their homes in the 2018 floods. The then collector Jafar Malik secured 5.26 acres at Chempankolli in neighbouring Edakkara panchayat using funds from Federal Bank. The bank also initiated the construction of 34 houses. But in 2020, as the houses neared completion, then LDF MLA  P V Anvar objected -- claiming he wasn't consulted and insisting the houses go to Kavalappara landslide victims instead of Chalikkal Colony residents.

Malik hit back, accusing Anvar of attempting to misuse Rs 6 crore worth of public money. The land had been acquired with sponsorships, but Anvar wanted to resell it to the displaced for Rs 6 lakh per plot. Malik called it a racket. Anvar responded with a defamation notice. By March 2020, the houses stood completed but locked. Anvar is now contesting as an independent candidate in the Nilambur bypoll after his fallout with the CPM.

By May, Malik was transferred, and under the new Collector, attempts were made to give the homes to Kavalappara families. Dileep helped Chalikkal resident Chandran C P move the High Court in June 2020. He also gathered letters from Kavalappara residents saying they had no interest in relocating to Edakkara panchayat. The court ordered the collector to hand over the keys within three weeks. The keys were finally distributed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, at a virtual event.

Still, Kavalappara's rehabilitation remained stalled. A total of 196 houses were needed: 76 were destroyed or damaged in the landslide, and 44 more were declared risky by geologists soon after. Another 55 homes at the foothills of Muthappanmala (accumulation area) were marked uninhabitable. In addition, 21 houses along the banks of two Chaliyar tributaries flood every monsoon and require relocation.

NRI businessman Yusuff Ali M A offered to build 33 houses if the land was provided. Collector Malik planned 67 more under the Bhoodanam Nava Keralam Gramam scheme, by purchasing nine acres in Anakallu ward. Anvar opposed it, promising cheaper land, but it was never delivered. So Dileep led the residents back to court. The government finally greenlit Yusuff Ali's houses. Once built, 33 general-category families moved into Lulu Nagar. Others used the Rs 10 lakh aid to construct homes themselves.

With the Anakallu project stalled, the 32 tribespeople continued to be stranded in relief camps. Then Dileep helped a resident named Chathan with a new petition. The court ordered construction to begin.

The collector scaled down the Bhoodanam Nava Keralam Gramam project from 67 to 32 houses, purchasing 3.15 acres directly from landowner Wilson at Rs 30,000 per cent. This direct purchase halved the government’s projected land cost -- from Rs 6 lakh per 10 cents to Rs 3 lakh -- saving Rs 94.5 lakh. The savings prompted the Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITDP) to allocate an additional Rs 2 lakh per house, raising the total budget for each tribal family's home to Rs 6 lakh.

Dileep's biggest legal battle is still ongoing -- for compensation for farmlands lost in the 2019 landslide. Thirty-four farmers petitioned the High Court to either restore the debris-filled land, provide alternative land, or compensate them. "People owned 25 cents to 3 acres here. It was their only livelihood," said Dileep.

If the Kavalappara farmers win this case, it will be a landmark as the government does not have a policy to compensate land lost to natural calamities. In 2022, the HC asked the state to explain the steps taken to either compensate the farmers of Kavalappara or restore their land. In 2024, the court ordered the government to form an expert committee to study and act. The order said the committee should give its recommendations and the government should act on them all within seven months, that is by August 2024.

The government initially resisted, saying 11 bodies were still buried and digging would cause distress to their families. But the families disagreed. "We called a meeting and they all said — revive the land, give it back to the owners," said Dileep.

A year later, when the government did not act, the farmers filed a contempt petition in February 2025. The court warned the principal secretary and collector to appear in person if they failed to act. The new Collector V R Vinod immediately formed a committee headed by the district geologist and visited the site. In May 2025, the committee submitted its recommendations. Of the 55 acres washed away, 13.78 acres between the Kavalappara stream and road could be revived and made cultivable. Around 33 farmers will benefit, said Dileep, who was on the committee. "The legal fight will continue till every farmer gets their land back, or just compensation," he said.

Pothukallu, once a CPM fortress, is now witnessing Dileep's steady takeover -- built on legal grit and grassroots work. With the judiciary as his only weapon, he's helped dozens of residents denied land, rehabilitation or compensation to file writ petitions in the High Court. "We filed nine mass petitions; we’ve won seven. Two are still pending,” he said.

Vijayakumar Vagathothathil (75), a Congress supporter, said he's been depending on Dileep to push his ₹10 lakh compensation plea since the 2018 floods. In July 2020, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan handed over the keys, virtually, to 32 houses built by Federal Bank in Edakkara panchayat for tribal families who had lost their homes in the 2018 floods in Pothukallu panchayat. But what the ceremony didn’t reveal was that these homes were won through a gruelling court battle -- against Pinarayi Vijayan's own government.