Kollam collectorate attached by court

The Kollam Sub-court has ordered the attachment of the Kollam Collectorate building and approximately two acres of its surrounding land following the State government’s failure to deposit compensation for land acquired over two decades ago, despite a direct mandate from the High Court.

To facilitate a bus terminal-cum-shopping complex project, the Kollam Corporation (then municipality) had acquired 1.23 acres belonging to the late K. Raveendran Nair, owner of Vijayalakshmi Cashew Factory, near Upasana Hospital on the Kollam-Thirumangalam road.

While the government initially fixed the compensation at ₹1.13 crore, the landowner challenged the amount in court, seeking a fair market valuation. After multiple appeals, the High Court raised the total compensation to ₹12.43 crore.

Following the High Court’s verdict, the landowner filed an execution petition in the Kollam Sub-court to recover the dues. However, the government failed to deposit the required amount in court.

This persistent non-compliance led the sub-court to authorise the attachment of the district’s primary administrative headquarters to recover the funds. In response to the attachment proceedings, the State government has reportedly initiated fresh legal steps to stay the High Court order and reverse the seizure of the property.