Kerala High Court dismisses V4 leader’s plea

Alleged tresspass into land where soil excavation was on for Water Metro project

The Kerala High Court has dismissed a petition filed by V4 leader Nipun Cheriyan seeking to quash a criminal case registered against him for trespassing into the land where soil excavation was being undertaken for geotechnical analysis for the proposed Water Metro project and destroying the soil samples collected. The petitioner contended that he was only trying to prevent Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) from constructing a bund on the Chilavannur lake, violating stop memos issued by the Revenue authorities. He alleged that he was being victimised for espousing a public cause. Justice V.G. Arun, dismissing his pleas, observed that his alleged act of intimidating workers engaged in public work and destroying soil samples could not be justified. Such acts, if encouraged, will “upset the rule of law and lead to anarchy”.