Kerala High Court Orders Timely Compensation for Landslide Victims

Court Directives on Compensation and Investigation

The Kerala High Court has mandated the state government to ensure that families of those who perished in the Wayanad landslide, as well as the injured, receive compensation promptly. A bench comprising Justice A.K. Jayashankaran Nambiar and Justice Preetha A.K. issued this directive while requesting a report from the government regarding when work at the construction site was halted and why workers were still present if all activities had ceased.

This ruling came during the hearing of a petition aimed at preventing and managing natural disasters in Kerala. Following the devastating landslide in 2024 in the villages of Mundakkai and Choorlamala in Wayanad district, the High Court took suo motu cognizance of the matter that year, as the disaster claimed over 200 lives.

In addition to expediting the distribution of compensation, the court instructed the government to ensure that the bodies are handed over to their respective families without delay. The court noted that the funds for compensation and medical expenses for the injured could initially be drawn from the tunnel project’s account, with future decisions on recovery to be determined later.

During the proceedings, the government informed the court that due to mud and sludge in the area, search dogs were unable to locate bodies, necessitating the use of human labor for the search for missing persons. The government also stated that, in compliance with the order from May 25, all activities at the site were halted except for external works, and a complete stop to all work was ordered on July 5.

The court questioned the presence of workers at the site under these circumstances and has requested a response from the government by the next hearing date. Following the recovery of another body from the disaster site on Friday, the death toll from the landslide has risen to seven. This landslide occurred on July 7 at the Anakkampoyil Meppadi tunnel project site, which aims to connect the Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.