In 2023, the Kerala government presented an amendment to the Land Assignment Act as a humanitarian gesture. Its stated goal was to protect ordinary citizens who, out of necessity or lack of awareness, breached the conditions of their land pattas while trying to build a home or secure a livelihood. The move was framed as a corrective measure for small landholders who crossed technical boundaries.
The SOP That Reveals a Broader Agenda
However, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on December 16, 2025, to bring this amendment into effect, paints a significantly more complex and politically charged picture. A detailed examination of the SOP reveals that the beneficiaries extend far beyond marginal settlers or small farmers. In fact, some of the most significant gainers are entities that were central to the Idukki illegal construction controversy of 2023.
These include offices of political parties, cooperative institutions, tourism ventures, and large commercial establishments that had previously drawn adverse observations from the courts. The SOP, framed under the Kerala Govt Land Assignment (Regularisation of Violations) Rules, 2025, permits the regularisation of violations that occurred before June 7, 2024. This date is critical as it is when the 2023 amendment finally came into force after receiving the governor's assent.
From Illegal to Eligible: A Wide Net for Regularisation
The scope of what can now be regularised is strikingly broad. The rules allow for post-facto approval for buildings constructed on assigned land for purposes entirely different from the original grant. This explicitly covers:
- Commercial buildings and large establishments
- Resorts and tourism projects
- Religious and educational institutions
- Cooperative society buildings
- Political party offices
This has direct and immediate implications for the contentious cases in Idukki. In 2023, acting on High Court directions, the district administration identified 57 illegal constructions. This list included CPM offices in Santhanpara and Bison Valley, a cooperative bank-run amusement park, resorts in ecologically sensitive zones, and large commercial structures on government land. Police protection was even deployed to halt further construction.
Officials privately admit that these 57 cases are just the tip of the iceberg. With similar patterns of land assignment and misuse prevalent across multiple districts, the scale of potential regularisation could run into hundreds, if not thousands, of cases involving political, commercial, and institutional actors.
Neutralising Court Cases and Redrawing Legality
Under the new framework, structures owned by registered political parties, cooperatives, and tourism or commercial entities are explicitly covered. Crucially, even large buildings exceeding 3,000 square feet, once considered serious violations, can now be legitimised if they were completed before the June 7, 2024 cutoff.
A senior revenue department official acknowledged the sweeping change. "A reading of the categories makes it clear this will largely benefit political parties, their affiliated cooperative societies, and connected entities. It also covers resorts and adventure tourism projects earlier deemed illegal. This will effectively neutralise several ongoing court cases," the official stated.
While the government maintains the amendment aims to help ordinary citizens, the design of the framework suggests the biggest beneficiaries may be entities with the financial and institutional muscle for large-scale construction—precisely those whose projects were earlier halted by enforcement.
Revenue Minister K Rajan was unavailable for comment despite multiple attempts by the media to seek his response on the implications of the new rules.
In essence, the new rules fundamentally redraw the line between illegality and legitimacy. Actions that once triggered stop memos, police action, and judicial scrutiny now stand to be absorbed into a formal regularisation process. This shift raises profound questions about accountability, environmental protection, and the future trajectory of land governance in Kerala.
