Six-decade-old Malayidom Thuruthu land dispute ends; landowners, dalit families sign landmark agreement

Kochi: Bringing a definitive end to a bitter and nearly six-decade-long legal and social battle, an official consensus agreement has been signed, resolving the land dispute between private landowners and the eviction of seven Dalit families in the Pariyathukavu settlement in Malayidom Thuruthu near Kizhakambalam in Ernakulam on Monday.

The settlement was finalised late Monday night during a high-level meeting convened in the chamber of the Ernakulam District Collector at the Collectorate in Kakkanad. The discussions, led by Higher Education Minister Roji M John, who is in charge of Ernakulam district, and attended by Kunnathunad MLA VP Sajeendran, senior government officials, representatives of the affected families and the landowners, culminated in a mutually accepted rehabilitation package and withdrawal of all pending disputes.

The signed agreement will now be submitted before the Kerala High Court through the Advocate General as the court hears the case on Tuesday.

The settlement seeks to reconcile the implementation of a Supreme Court order upholding private ownership of the disputed land with the rehabilitation of seven Scheduled Caste families who have been residing on the property for decades.

The state government has confirmed that, under the agreement, the heirs of the late Kannoth Shankaran Nair, the original claimant in the dispute, have agreed to surrender five cents of land each to the seven affected families. The new plots will be located immediately behind the families’ existing residences within the disputed property.

To ensure accessibility, the landowners will also relinquish additional land for the construction of a three-metre-wide access road leading to the newly allotted plots. The road will subsequently be handed over to the Vazhakulam Grama Panchayat. A permanent boundary wall will be erected to clearly demarcate the land retained by the private owners from the rehabilitated settlement.

The state government has undertaken responsibility for constructing new houses for all seven families. Each house will have a minimum built-up area of 1,000 square feet and will be completed through a sponsorship model. The houses are expected to be finished within one year.

Importantly, the families will not be evicted until the rehabilitation process is completed. They will continue to reside in their existing homes until the new houses are constructed and formally handed over to them.

As part of the settlement package, the District Scheduled Castes Development Officer has been directed to immediately provide all eligible welfare benefits and government assistance to residents of Paryathukavu Unnathi.

The agreement also protects the families’ rights over the plots they currently occupy. They will retain full ownership and usufruct rights over any trees standing on the existing residential plots and may cut and claim them as they choose.

Revenue and police department to monitor implementation
To ensure the agreement is implemented transparently and within the stipulated timeline, the Muvattupuzha Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) and the Perumbavoor Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) have been designated as supervisory officers. Both officials have been tasked with conducting weekly inspections and submitting progress reports directly to Ernakulam District Collector G Priyanka.

One of the most significant aspects of the settlement is the decision by both sides to withdraw all civil and criminal cases arising from the dispute. The state government has also agreed to initiate legal proceedings to withdraw criminal cases registered at the Thadiyittaparambu Police Station against residents and activists during anti-eviction protests linked to the land dispute.

A dispute that spanned nearly six decades
The dispute traces its origins to nearly 58 years ago, when a resident, Kannoth Shankaran Nair, filed a suit alleging that Kalu Kurumban, a Scheduled Caste resident, had encroached upon his land. Though both the original petitioner and defendant passed away during the prolonged litigation, the case continued across generations, with Shankaran Nair’s maternal grandchildren pursuing the title claim and the descendants of the settlers remaining on the land.

The Perumbavoor Munsiff Court initially ruled in favour of Shankaran Nair, and after passing through multiple appeals, the case reached the Supreme Court, which four years ago upheld Nair's descendants’ rights over the 2.62-acre settlement.

However, implementing the verdict proved difficult. An Advocate Commission led by Advocate MK Jayapalan and the Taluk Surveyor first attempted to survey the land on September 7, 2023, but was forced to withdraw amid strong resistance from residents. Fourteen subsequent attempts also failed. After the Munsiff Court ordered strict enforcement on March 4, 2026, authorities prepared to proceed, but action was initially delayed as officials cited duties related to the impending assembly elections. Tensions peaked on May 20, 2026, when a survey attempt under heavy police protection led to violent clashes that left several people injured and drew CPM leaders, local activists and anti-eviction campaigners into the agitation.

Concerned about a worsening law-and-order situation, the newly formed VD Satheesan government pursued negotiations instead of forced eviction. Following this, the government moved the High Court, seeking time to mediate and come to a peaceful settlement of the issue. After multiple extensions granted by the HC, five rounds of mediation talks, the landowners and residents finally agreed to key concessions, paving the way for the final settlement.