Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) breathes easier after the Kerala High Court extended its stay on razing the cricket ground at Badiyadka in Kasaragod. The court affirmed the ground’s public utility and instructed the government to approach the issue gravely.
The ongoing interim injunction against demolition, prompted by supposed illegal occupation, persists until resolution. Officials from revenue and local self-government sectors face a four-month deadline to deliver a definitive ruling.
KCA had contested the district collector’s encroachment notice covering 1.09 acres of state property. The judges concurred that the assessment wasn’t backed by scientific methods, upholding the association’s objections.
The bench greenlit KCA’s option to demand a thorough scientific land survey from authorities. In such scenarios, precise surveying is compulsory, followed by governmental review of reports and diagrams before closure.
On accusations of seizing 40 cents of government canal land mid-construction, KCA clarified to the court that possession predated their acquisition, sans any apparent canal. The collector’s document corroborated no negative effects from water channel alterations.
KCA’s Vinod S. Kumar, Secretary, told media, ‘Relief indeed for KCA. Confidence high that facts will surface. Ground ready with pitch facilities.’
This judicial intervention not only protects a key sporting asset but also reinforces procedural fairness in encroachment cases, offering hope to regional cricket bodies amid bureaucratic hurdles.