HC directive to government on petition of VS kin

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to consider the order cancelling the assignment of land to Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan’s relative T K Soman in Kasargod district as a notice, giving him the opportunity to file an objection.However, the court said the direction would not affect the Cabinet decision to cancel the earlier order and to initiate a Vigilance  inquiry into the circumstances in which the land was assigned to him with exemption from the provisions of Kerala Land Assignment Rules, prohibiting the alienation of the assigned land for 25 years.The court ordered that after considering his objections to the notice, the authorities concerned could pass a fresh order. The petitioner challenged the cancellation order on ground that no notice was issued to him as mandated by the provisions under the Rules before passing the cancellation order. “The petitioner has not specifically questioned the legality of the decision taken by the Cabinet,” the court said. The petitioner submitted that he had filed an application for assignment of land in 1976 under the ex-servicemen category. But no action was taken on the application. Therefore, the application was renewed in 2009. The assignment order came on the renewal application.Soman, of North Aryad, Alappuzha, was assigned 2.33 acres of land in Kasargod district during the tenure of the LDF Government. When the UDF came to power, the land assignment was cancelled and decided to initiate a Vigilance probe.