VACB files FIR on encroachment by D Cinemaas

THRISSUR: The Vigilance has registered an  FIR in connection with the alleged encroachment of land by D Cinemaas theater in Chalakudy owned by actor Dileep. The Vigilance, which registered the FIR as instructed by the Vigilance court here,  said that Dileep and former district collector M.S. Jaya could not at present be made the respondents or accused in the case. Earlier, acting on a complaint by  activist P.D. Joseph, the Vigilance had conducted a preliminary inquiry and given a clean chit to the actor and the former collector. But the court  rejected the inquiry report and  asked the Vigilance to file an FIR.

As the  Vigilance delayed the  FIR,   Mr Joseph filed a petition  on Monday. Vigilance DySP in Thrissur Mathew Raj Kallikkadan told DC that only after further inquiry an FIR will be registered against the respondents   mentioned in  Mr Joseph's plaint. The allegation is that the actor had encroached on nearly one acres of land for the theatre and that the former collector submitted a report to the land revenue commissioner a few years ago saying that no encroachment had taken place when a complaint was filed regarding the matter.

The DySP said that two land records available now  say that the disputed land of Thampuran Kovilakam of Kochi royal family has 1.80 acres and 80 cents. "How the land of the royal family reached private persons after it   became part of  Kerala state  has to be probed.  The land,  if not used by the royal family, will rest with the government.  During the highway development on  the contentious land in 2003-04,  no private person had got any compensation claiming ownership of the land," the DySP noted.