Sanchayita Lahkar

The High Court of Kerala Division Bench of Justice Dr. A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Jobin Sebastian, on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, directed the Scheduled Tribes Development Department and the District Collector, Kannur, to install a solar electric fence around the Aralam Model Residential School to address human–wildlife conflict in the Aralam Farm and TRDM areas, following relocation of 257 students and 47 teachers from Thirunelli to premises within the Tribal Resettlement and Development Area near Aralam Farm, which is vulnerable to wild elephant incursions.

The writ petition was filed by a resident of Wayanad, seeking protective measures against human–wildlife conflict following the temporary relocation of 257 students and 47 teachers from the dilapidated Thirunelli Model Residential School to Aralam Farm MRS, situated within the Tribal Rehabilitation Development Mission (TRDM) area near Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary. The petitioner asserted that the Thirunelli campus was unsafe due to structural dilapidation and lacked basic residential amenities, especially for 129 girl students.

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The plea alleged escalating safety risks from frequent wild elephant movement across Aralam Farm MRS area and surrounding TRDM blocks, and sought directions for restoring existing electric fencing around critical farm blocks. The petitioner also requested trimming of shrubs and removal of small trees to improve boundary visibility and limit elephant cover, continuous watchers or rapid-response squads, temporary relocation of vulnerable families to government quarters with sustenance allowance if safeguards were delayed, and immediate elephant-drive operations by forest officials.

The Forest Department and Wildlife Warden of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuaries confirmed that a 28.1-km stretch of paddy fields in Vadakkanad experienced recurring elephant incursions, with older fences in disrepair. Scheduled Tribes Development Department had sanctioned ₹40,37,758 for preparatory works at Aralam, including compound wall repairs, electrification, high mast lights, CCTV, and enhanced staff surveillance.

The Court held multi-authority consultations via video conference with the Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar Bench, the Kannur District Collector (district authority head), and the Wildlife Warden of Wayanad to verify resource pooling for safety fortification. Authorities placed affidavits and assurances confirming ongoing plans to replace older fencing technology, deploy rapid response teams, and enhance perimeter security in the relocated school zone.

The Court recorded that the affidavit filed by the Director, Scheduled Tribes Development Department, detailed the circumstances necessitating the relocation of students. The affidavit stated: “the Thirunnelli school building was unsafe and required urgent evacuation of all students. This constituted an imminent danger to the safety of the children.” It also noted that alternative facilities lacked the capacity to accommodate the full strength of “257 students (129 girls and 128 male students) and 47 teachers.”

The Court noted the affidavit’s statement that “Aralam Farm Model Residential School was the only functional infrastructure capable of accommodating them immediately in the vicinity.” The affidavit further recorded that the Aralam MRS had “adequate classrooms, residential space and basic facilities to ensure continuity of education and safety of the students.”

The Court took note of the affirmation that adequate hostel facilities existed at Aralam, including a functioning Pre-Matric Girls Hostel and a high school building, and that “the availability of a functioning Model Residential School was a decisive factor for the transfer.” The affidavit also disclosed the sanctioning of “Rs.40,37,758… for immediate preparatory works at Aralam for accommodating the transferred students.”

The affidavit additionally recorded that the Thirunnelli campus could not provide even minimal residential conditions due to “dilapidation and structural instability.” It stated that preparatory measures at Aralam included “clearing of weeds and electrification of the MRS… revamping the compound wall… installing High Mast Lights and CCTV cameras… arranging additional security personnel.”

The Court observed that, after hearing the petitioner and the counsel for the respondents and interacting with the District Collector, “considering the present situation in Aralam Farm and the TRDM area, where incidents of human–animal conflict have been reported, there is an urgent need for fortifying the wall area around the school in question.” The Court recorded that temporary electric fencing around the school was required “so as to safeguard the interests of the children and the teachers who have been translocated therein.”

The Court further recorded the Wildlife Warden’s assurance that new fences capable of detecting instances of shortening would be installed “on or before 15.12.2025, based on the assurance given by the contractors.” It was stated that replacing the old-technology fences “would significantly reduce the incursion of elephants into the said area.”

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The Court directed the Director, Scheduled Tribes Development Department, to immediately coordinate with the District Collector, Kannur, to pool resources and “put in place a solar electric fence in the area around the school in question.” It ordered that “the needful shall be done on a war footing and as an emergency measure within a week from today, and the development shall be intimated before this Court by the next date of posting.”

The Wildlife Warden of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuaries shall file a report “on or before 15.12.2025, giving the details of the developments” regarding installation of new fencing in the Vadakkanad region. The matter was directed to be posted on “10.12.2025.”

Advocates Representing The Parties

For the Respondents:  Nagaraj Narayanan, Special Government Pleader (Forest). M/S. T.R. Harikumar R & Arjun Raghavan, Nirmal S., Standing Counsel, V. Harish.

Case Title: Baiju Paul Mathews v. State of Kerala & Others
Case Number: WP(C) No. 7858 of 2025
Bench: Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Jobin Sebastian