Indus Towers Ltd. & Charles Mathew v. S.I. of Police, Gandhinagar Police Station, et al.
Case Details & Bench
- Court
- High Court of Kerala
- Hon'ble Judges
- R. Basant
- K. Surendran Mohan
- Judgment Date
- 2011-06-17
- Court Decision / Holding
- This writ petition is allowed. Respondents 1 to 3 are directed to afford protection to the petitioners to construct the mobile tower in terms of Ext.P6 permit issued by the fourth respondent against obstruction, if any, raised by respondents 6 to 17. The protection granted is subject to the observations and conditions stipulated in Essar Telecom Infrastructure (P) Ltd. v State of Kerala (supra) and to the observations in paragraph-3 of the interim order dated 15.3.2011. Interim order shall remain in force until further orders, with a hearing on 27.5.2011.
- Final Disposition
- Petition allowed; police protection directed to construct the tower subject to stated conditions and interim order provisions.
Parties to the Case
Appellants / Petitioners
- Indus Towers Ltd
- Charles Mathew
Respondents
- The S.I. of Police, Gandhinagar Police Station, Kottayam District
- The C.I.O.F Police, Kottayam East, Kottayam
- The Superintendent of Police, Kottayam
- Kumaranalloor Grama Panchayath, Kumaranalloor, Kottayam District
- N. Manoharan, S/o. Late Nanu, Puthenparambil House, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Binoj Joseph, S/o. Joseph, Thondupparambil House, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- C.C. Cherian, Chungath House, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Revamma Vijayanath, Kizhakkekutty, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Surendran, Puthenparambil House, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Rajamma, Puthenparambil House, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Jinu Mathew, Perumbalipparambil, Mallossery P.O., Perumbakkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Jino Thomas, Panamattathil House, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Anil Joseph, Kunnumpurathu, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Gouri, Puthenparambil, Mallotossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Santhamma, Puthenparambil, Mallosssery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Nazar, Puthenparambil, Lakshmi Veedu Colony, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- Rajappan, Puthenparambil, Mallossery P.O., Perumbaikkadu Village, Kottayam District 686 041
- State of Kerala, represented by its Chief Secretary
- Union of India, represented by its Secretary, Ministry of Communications and IT, Department of Telecommunications
Legal Representation & Advocates
Counsels for Petitioners
- • Sri. V. Philip Mathews
- • Sri. Johnson K. Kurien
Counsels for Respondents
- • Sri. T.K. Vipindas
- • Sri. Mathew Philip Edappallil
- • Sri. T.P.M. Ibrahim Khan
- • Sri. T.P.M. Ibrahim Khan (Asst. S.G. of India)
Case Synopsis & Summary
This writ petition, filed under Article 226 of the Constitution, seeks police protection to enable the petitioner to construct a mobile telecom tower on land in Malloossery village, Kochi district, in accordance with Ext.P6 permit issued by the fourth respondent Panchayat. The petitioners, Indus Towers Ltd. and Charles Mathew, contend that the permit is valid and enforceable against obstruction by several respondents (6–17) who claim various rights over the property, including a partition suit. Respondents 9 and 10 filed counter-affidavits; their main objection centers on the partition suit and ownership disputes. The court notes a prior interim protection order dated 15 March 2011, framed to allow demolition at the petitioners’ expense if the partition assigns the property to someone other than the 5th respondent who is allegedly the owner, should that person be unwilling to continue the tower. The petitioners rely on Essar Telecom precedents to support the grant of protection. The respondents’ counsel assent to confirming the interim order and granting protection subject to conditions in the interim order. The High Court ultimately allows the petition, directing respondents 1–3 and 18 to provide police protection in terms of Ext.P6, subject to the conditions observed in the cited Essar cases. The interim protection is continued until further orders, with a hearing fixed for 27 May 2011.
Provisions of Law Cited
Submissions & Arguments
Contentions of Appellants / Petitioners
The petitioners contend Ext.P6 permit issued by the fourth respondent Panchayath is valid and enforceable and that the interim protection previously granted on 15 March 2011 should be confirmed so as to allow construction of the mobile tower. They rely on precedents Essar Telecom Infrastructure (P) Ltd. v C.I. of Police (2010(2) KLT 762) (FB) and Essar Telecom Infrastructure (P) Ltd. v State of Kerala (2011(2) KHC 171) to support their entitlement to protection and to challenge objections raised by respondents 6–17.
Contentions of Respondents
Respondents 9 and 10 concede the interim order dated 15 March 2011 can be confirmed and police protection granted, subject to the terms set out in paragraph 3 of the interim order, which require the petitioners to demolish the tower at their expense if the partition assigns the property to someone other than the 5th respondent and that person is unwilling to continue the tower.
Cited Precedents (2)
| Case Name | Citation | Treatment | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essar Telecom Infrastructure (P) Ltd. v C.I. of Police | 2010(2) KLT 762 (FB) | Positive | Cited as a precedent supporting the petitioner's claim to police protection and to uphold the validity of the protective measures. |
| Essar Telecom Infrastructure (P) Ltd. v State of Kerala | 2011(2) KHC 171 | Positive | Cited for its observations and conditions governing protection, which the court applies to the present case. |
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