After two decades, Muthanga case enters final phase as CBI concludes arguments

Wayanad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday concluded its final arguments in the long-pending Muthanga incident case before the Principal Sessions Court in Wayanad, marking a significant milestone in one of Kerala's most controversial tribal rights cases. The trial will now move to the defence arguments.

The case stems from a land rights agitation launched by the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS) for landless tribal communities. It was led by tribal leader C K Janu, at Thakarappadi in Muthanga inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary near Sulthan Bathery. 

The protest, which began on January 3, 2003, turned violent on February 19, leaving tribal activist Jogi and police constable Vinod dead, while several police personnel, protesters and media persons were injured. 

According to a statement issued by defence counsel Adv T M Rasheed, CBI Public Prosecutor Boby Joseph completed the prosecution's submissions before the court on Friday. The prosecution maintained that all 14 charges framed against the 57 accused had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.

The CBI argued that the accused were part of a criminal conspiracy that culminated in the killing of constable Vinod. It also submitted that witnesses had identified the accused during the test identification parade and that the evidence on record sufficiently established their involvement in the offences.

Opening the defence's case, Rasheed challenged the legality of the CBI investigation, contending that the State government had never formally entrusted the case to the agency. As a result, he argued, the CBI investigation lacked legal validity.

The defence further submitted that the case had already been investigated for nearly six months by the local police and the Crime Branch, and claimed that the CBI had not carried out any fresh investigation. It also alleged that the prosecution had failed to produce all relevant records before the court and had overlooked or contradicted portions of the evidence.

Rasheed also questioned the circumstances surrounding Vinod's death, alleging that the temporary shed where the constable was killed was destroyed in a fire on the same night while it was under police custody, resulting in the loss of crucial evidence.

The defence additionally referred to allegations made at the time by former Leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan, who had claimed that the police had cremated the bodies of several tribal victims on the night of the incident. Those allegations have remained the subject of public debate for years.

The trial was shifted to the Principal Sessions Court in Kalpetta following High Court directions to facilitate the participation of tribal witnesses and accused persons living in remote parts of Wayanad.

Among the prominent accused are AGMS founder C K Janu and M Geethanandan, whom the prosecution alleges were among those who masterminded the land rights agitation that eventually culminated in violence.

Pending for more than two decades, the Muthanga case remains one of Kerala's most significant legal battles involving tribal land rights and police action. With the prosecution having concluded its final arguments, the court will now hear the defence before proceeding to the next stage of the trial.