Kannur sand mining case: Vigilance charge-sheet names CPM leaders in ₹8.33cr scam

Kannur: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) charge-sheet in the Malappattam illegal sand mining case lays bare a tightly run operation in a panchayat where the CPM held near-total political and administrative control.

Between 2007 and 2012, when the CPM-led LDF controlled all 13 wards, several of them unopposed, parallel sand mining committees were allegedly set up to siphon off ₹8.33 crore. Of this, only ₹2.07 crore was remitted to the panchayat, resulting in a loss of ₹6.26 crore to the public exchequer, according to the charge-sheet filed before a special court in Thalassery.

The political grip continues even today, with 13 of the 14 wards in Malappattam panchayat in the Taliparamba Assembly constituency held by the LDF, three of them unopposed.

The charge-sheet, filed by Vigilance DySP Babu Peringeth and accessed by Onmanorama, names 23 accused, including two former CPM panchayat presidents, six panchayat secretaries, two senior clerks, four kadavu supervisors or watchmen, and nine local CPM leaders and workers.

How the system was meant to work
Under the Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act, 2001, sand mining in panchayat limits is to be regulated through statutory kadavu committees chaired by the panchayat president, with the secretary as convener. Members include officials from the irrigation department, PWD and Kerala Water Authority, the village officer, and representatives nominated by the district collector.

These committees are tasked with fixing sand prices, regulating sales, and ensuring safety. Only authorised supervisors can sell sand using P-Form passes, each permitting 5 tonnes, with proceeds to be deposited with the panchayat weekly.

How it was subverted
The charge-sheet states that this system was bypassed, with sand workers’ committees taking control of mining and sales at four riverbanks, Adoor, Kovunthala (Onakkukandam), Chooliyad and Parippan Kadavu. Though described as private groups, local sources said these largely comprised CPM workers and leaders.

These committees allegedly allowed extraction of 6 to 8 tonnes per pass, exceeding the prescribed limit. Payments were routed through accounts in the Malappattam Service Co-operative Bank, where buyers paid directly at local counters, received unofficial receipts, and collected sand from designated sites.

The money trail
Investigators found that four accounts linked to the Adoor, Onakkukandam, Chooliyad and Parippan committees received ₹8.33 crore between 2007 and 2012, while panchayat records showed sales of only ₹2.07 crore. The ₹6.26 crore gap has been identified as loss to the government and unlawful gain to the accused. The accounts were controlled by the presidents of the parallel committees.

Who enabled the scam
The charge-sheet attributes responsibility across multiple levels, including panchayat secretaries, presidents, clerks and field-level supervisors, as well as members of the parallel committees. Officials and private individuals are accused of failing to maintain records, ignoring audit findings, and weakening statutory mechanisms, allowing illegal operations to continue for five years.

Those named include former panchayat presidents K C Anil Kumar and C Sudhamani, six secretaries who served between 2007 and 2012, senior clerks, and four kadavu supervisors. Nine members of the sand workers’ committees, all from Malappattam, are also listed as accused.

The charges
The accused have been charged with criminal misconduct under Sections 13 (1)(d) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and conspiracy under Section 120B of the IPC. If convicted, they face imprisonment ranging from four to 10 years. The FIR in the case was registered in 2015.

The political backdrop
The case has resurfaced amid political developments in Malappattam, which drew attention during the recent Assembly election after CPM Kannur district secretariat member T K Govindan rebelled against the party, alleging nepotism. He contested against the CPM’s official candidate, P K Shyamala, wife of state secretary M V Govindan.

With CPM leaders and workers named as accused in a panchayat under the party’s near-total control, the charge-sheet is likely to cause political embarrassment for the CPM, which has often led protests against illegal sand mining in the State.