The Kerala High Court has clarified key aspects of the leadership structure for the long-awaited Ashtamudi Wetland Management Unit, aiming to remove administrative confusion that has contributed to implementation delays. The clarification came during a hearing on a contempt petition alleging the state government’s failure to comply with a prior court order to establish the management unit for the internationally important Ramsar-designated wetland at Ashtamudi in Kollam district.
The bench, led by Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice V. M. Syam Kumar, addressed uncertainty around the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the unit. The government had argued that sanctioning a separate full-time CEO post was pending financial approval, which was slowing down the process. The court dismissed this reasoning, clarifying that there is no need to create a new post for the CEO. Instead, the member secretary of the State Wetland Authority Kerala (SWAK) will serve as the CEO, as envisaged in earlier proposals, thereby eliminating the perceived hurdle.
The clarification is significant because it affirms that the unit can be constituted immediately using existing officials and established roles, without waiting for financial clearances to create new positions. This was part of the Court’s broader effort to ensure that its July 2025 directive — which required the state government to set up the management unit within two months — is followed without further delay.
The state government subsequently pledged to issue the required notification promptly, and the court adjourned the matter to the following day to review compliance. This step is seen as crucial to breaking the ongoing deadlock in implementing environmental protection measures for Ashtamudi, which has been facing ecological threats due to pollution, encroachment and administrative inertia.
The High Court’s intervention underscores the judiciary’s role in holding the executive accountable and ensuring that judicially mandated conservation mechanisms are established effectively and without further bureaucratic delay.
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