Kozhikode: Former Thiruvambady MLA and CPI(M) leader, George M Thomas, is facing a setback in a surplus land case. The Land Board has issued an order mandating the reclamation of 5.75 acres of land held by George M Thomas as surplus. However, the order specifies that 35 cents of land, including the house, will not be confiscated. Additionally, the Land Board has directed the return of six acres of land held by George’s brother.
The Land Board’s report, released earlier, revealed that the government-designated surplus land, which was supposed to be confiscated, had been sold by George M Thomas back in 2002. The report also highlights a specific one-acre plot sold to a person named Augustin in 2001, which was subsequently repurchased in the name of Thomas’ wife.
Selling the land to another individual and subsequently repurchasing it under his wife’s name, a tactic aimed at preventing the Land Board from seizing the surplus land. Notably, the land, initially sold in 2001, was bought back in 2022. The Land Board’s report confirms the validity of the complaint, asserting that during the investigation into the allegations, a two-storey house was found under construction on the repurchased land.
The complaint lodged against George M Thomas accused him of holding more than 16 acres of surplus land, a claim supported by the Land Board’s findings in the surplus land case.
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