Local body seeks to revoke suspension of secretary

Thiruvananthapuram: Kattakkada panchayat committee has rallied behind secretary Jeevan S, who was suspended citing violations in change of ownership he had effected for a wedding auditorium. The committee meeting held here on Saturday authorised panchayat president S Ajitha to submit a letter to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking to revoke the action alleging that the local self-governemnt department did not study various aspects of the case before issuing the suspension order.

“It was an unjust decision. We have decided to approach chief minister,” said Ajitha.

Jeevan was suspended on Wednesday based on a report submitted by R A Hilkraj, deputy director of panchayat. In the suspension order it was cited that the secretary did not wait for final verdict on the ongoing legal cases over ownership of property and failed to act against the institution which functioned without licence. It also said that the ownership was changed without hearing both parties.

The panchayat received an application from K K Sureshkumar in June for change of ownership from K K Parameswaran Nair. The panchayat secretary issued change in ownership based on tax receipt and possession certificate issued by village officer on July 5.

Six days later,the proceedings to change the ownership was cancelled by the secretary based on a letter from village officer, Kulathummal, which said the possession certificate had been cancelled owing to ongoing legal cases over land ownership.

The secretary in his statement had made it clear that he had acted based on documents furnished from village office and as the revenue documents got cancelled, the ownership certificate was also cancelled. Besides, the panchayat had to comply with an interim court order issued by the court of principal munsiff Nedumangad in 2015 by which the parties were restrained from trespassing into the auditorium and causing obstruction in conducting wedding and other ceremonies following a petition filed by Suresh Kumar.

The cancellation of ownership certificate was done on July 11, 2018 and the suspension order was served exactly three months later.