The Kerala High Court has set aside crucial stages of the land acquisition process for the proposed Sabarimala greenfield airport, holding that the state failed to properly assess the minimum land actually required for the project. The land in question, mainly the Cheruvally Estate in Pathanamthitta district, is proposed to be acquired for building a new airport intended to serve Sabarimala pilgrims. Justice Jayachandran observed that the authorities had shown "manifest non-application of mind" in assessing how much land was genuinely necessary. As a result, the SIA report, the Expert Committee report and the government order were declared invalid to the extent they failed to address this crucial requirement. It held that this issue is closely linked to determining the minimum land required and can only be examined after that exercise is properly completed.

Source: The Hindu December 21, 2025 04:39 UTC