Maradu flat case in Kerala: CPI(M) ex-panchayat president, builders, architect and officials accused
A file photo shows a flat, built in violation of coastal regulatory zone norms in Maradu village, being demolished by controlled implosion in Kochi | Photo credit: PTI
Three builders, a former CPI(M) panchayat president, an architect and two government officials have been accused in the Maradu flats construction cases in Kerala.
Former Maradu panchayat president and CPI(M) leader KA Devassy, former Maradu panchayat secretary M. Muhammad Ashraf, former junior superintendent PE Joseph and former senior division officer R. Jayaram Naik have been indicted as accused in all three cases registered by the crime branch. Mr. Devassy served as the chairman of Maradu panchayat from 2005 to 2010.
Paul Raj Joseph, managing director of Alfa Serene, its architect KC George, Sani Francis, managing director of H2O Holy faith Builders and Developers, and Sandeep Mehtha of Jain Coral Cove and his associate C. Naveen were the other accused who were arraigned by Tomy Sebastian, Deputy Inspector General of Crime Branch, Central Unit 2, before the Muvattupha court on Thursday. PE Joseph, the third accused in the case, expired earlier.
The charge sheet was filed in connection with the illegal construction of two-apartment complexes, Alfa Serene, and one-apartment complexes each, H2O Holy Faith and Jain Coral Cove, which were demolished in January 2020 following a Supreme Court order. The Supreme Court found that the flats that came up on the banks of Vembanad Lake in Maradu, Kochi, were built in violation of the Coastal Regulatory Zone rules and other laws.
The crime branch invoked the criminal provisions of cheating, criminal conspiracy, destruction and concealment of evidence against the builders and the civic head. The three former government officials also face additional charges of committing the crime of public servant for “dishonestly or fraudulently misappropriating/converting entrusted property or allowing others to do so” and “abusing their official position to illegally obtain valuables or pecuniary benefits for themselves or others, without any public interest.”
The cases were booked on the basis of complaints from the owners of the demolished flats, who the crime branch said were defrauded by the builders following a series of conspiracies hatched with the political leadership of the civic body, government officials and an architect. S. Chandrasekharan Nair is the Special Public Prosecutor in these cases.
The investigating agency claims that the builders obtained building permits for the apartments illegally after concealing the fact that the construction was being carried out in a no-development zone. The builders and officials colluded with each other to violate the provisions of the Kerala City Building Rules and not obtain statutory clearances from agencies such as the Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Defense Force before starting construction. The building permits for all the apartment complexes were obtained illegally, according to the crime branch.
The demolition of the apartment complexes attracted national attention and raised serious questions about encroachment on the banks of water bodies and their illegal reclamation.
Published – 20 Jun 2026 10:33 IST