A five-member Special Task Force, not the nine officers the State suggested, and a December 10, 2026 deadline for a working SOP: that is how the Kerala High Court has chosen to deal with long-pending land issues in Munnar and the rest of Idukki, after recording that most earlier teams and committees had yielded no results at all.
Kochi: Teams and committees that “do not seem to be yielding any results at all” were not enough for the Kerala High Court on Thursday, which constituted a Special Task Force (STF) under VR Vinod IAS, Additional Secretary, Public Works Department, and directed it to prepare a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Munnar and other parts of Idukki district by December 10, 2026 [In Re: Munnar and Idukki Land Matters (case title to be verified)].
The order, dated November 5, 2026, was passed by a Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Basant Balaji, which is monitoring the Munnar and Idukki land matters.
What the Bench said about earlier teams
The Bench was critical of the bodies set up so far to handle the Idukki land issue:
“Unfortunately, except the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Digital Survey Team, presently who are still operating, the other teams and committees do not seem to be yielding any results at all.”
It said this could be because such teams were not equipped to act, and added that the Monitoring Committee it had constituted had been impaired because the officers in it were not given exclusive responsibilities or powers.
Five members, not nine
Additional Advocate General KC Vincent placed before the Court the State government’s proceedings dated November 4, which suggested nine officers for the proposed STF. The Bench settled on a smaller body, recording: “We propose the STF initially to have only five members.”
Besides VR Vinod, the order names S Shamsudeen IPS, Superintendent of Police; Sanoop S of the Kerala Administrative Service; and Deepak Mishra IFS, Principal Conservator of Forests (Forest Management).
The SOP comes first
The Court said a proper protocol for lands and their dealings must first be established in the Department:
“As matters now stand, we want the Special Task Force (STF) to immediately go through the recommendations of the various committees and all other relevant documents and prepare a proper protocol SOP with respect to every aspect of lands and extents in Idukki district.”
The STF must refer specifically to the reports and recommendations mentioned in the Court’s order of October 22, 2026. It has full liberty to consult any authority or officer, and must keep amicus curiae Harish Vasudevan informed of its work at all times.
The amicus asked for soft copies of all SIT reports. The government pleader said these would be made available within a few days, and the Court recorded the submission.
The SIT and the Digital Survey Team carry on
The Bench clarified that its order does not affect the SIT or the Digital Survey Team, which will continue their work “without any hindrance or break”. It said it would eventually decide how the three teams should be brought together into a single unit for effective control over lands in Idukki, and placed the responsibility on the government to give the STF the infrastructure, personnel and transport it needs to function.
Why the order matters
Land in Munnar and Idukki has been the subject of encroachment, title and regularisation disputes for decades, and several committees have been set up over the years without lasting results. By recording that most of those bodies have not worked, and by giving a small, named task force a fixed deadline to frame an SOP, the High Court has shifted the focus from more inquiries to a working procedure. The Court’s statement that the government is fully responsible for equipping the STF also puts the burden of delivery on the State.
Case Title: In Re: Munnar and Idukki Land Matters (case title to be verified)
Bench: Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Basant Balaji, High Court of Kerala
Date of Order: November 5, 2026
Appearances: Additional Advocate General KC Vincent for the State; Harish Vasudevan, Amicus Curiae
SOP Deadline: December 10, 2026