Tribals oppose Great Nicobar Mega Project, Centre reviewing their concerns, says Minister Jual Oram
New Delhi: The Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Monday confirmed that his ministry is scrutinising objections raised by the Nicobarese and Shompen people regarding the controversial 'Holistic Development of Great Nicobar' project. The plan proposes infrastructural developments whch includes a transshipment port, international airport, township and power plant, across more than 160 sq km of the ecologically rich island.
The proposed diversion of over 130 sq km of pristine forest land, which falls within areas inhabited and traditionally protected by the Nicobarese and Shompen tribes, both listed as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). These communities deeply rooted in the island’s ecology and culture, have voiced strong objections over the potential destruction of their ancestral land, sacred ecosystems, and way of life.
Speaking to reporters, Minister Oram acknowledged that the concerns are now under official review. “Yes, it is under examination… First, we need to determine whether the gram sabha (tribal council) was held, what it recommended, and whether there have been any violations,” he said.
The Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar, an elected body with statutory powers, had initially issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) in August 2022 for denotifying a portion of tribal reserve land. It later withdrew the NOC, alleging that authorities had concealed critical information while seeking clearance raising serious questions about transparency and consent.
As per the Andaman and Nicobar (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956, over 853 sq km of Great Nicobar’s land is designated as a tribal reserve. Here the tribals hold exclusive rights. These rights are a legal safeguard intended to protect Indigenous people's autonomy and cultural integrity by banning the sale, transfer, or acquisition of their lands.
The Shompen tribe, isolated from the outside world, relies on these forests for food, medicine, identity, language, and social systems. Any disruption to their natural habitat has the potential to permanently destroy their precarious and vulnerable life.
Though the state asserts that the project will not disturb or displace the Shompens, experts and tribal rights campaigners believe that such a claim is illogical because the very forest that nourishes the tribe is at risk.
For the Nicobarese as well, whose lands and lives are tied to their environment, the project raises fear of their extintion. The forced imposition of industrial infrastructure in a region protected for tribal self-governance violates the spirit of both the Constitution and international conventions on Indigenous rights.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs says consultations are underway but the tribal leaders and advocates insist that no development should proceed without free, prior, and informed consent.
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Actress sexual assault: Court says Prosecution 'miserably' failed to prove conspiracy against Dileep
Kochi (PTI): The prosecution had "miserably" failed to prove the conspiracy charge against Dileep in the sensational 2017 actress sexual assault case, a local court has observed while citing inconsistencies and lack of sufficient evidence against the Malayalam star.
The full judgement of Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese was released late on Friday, and has revealed the judge also pointing out at unsustainable arguments put forth by the prosecution.
"The prosecution miserably failed to prove the conspiracy between accused No.1 (Pulsar Suni) and accused No.8 (Dileep) in executing the offence against the victim," the court held.
It examined in detail, the prosecution's allegation that Dileep had hired the prime accused to sexually assault the survivor and record visuals, including close-up footage of a gold ring she was wearing, to establish her identity.
On page 1130 of the judgment, under paragraph 703, the court framed the issue as whether the prosecution's contention that NS Sunil (Pulsar Suni) recorded visuals of the gold ring worn by the victim at the time of the occurrence, so as to clearly disclose her identity, was sustainable.
The prosecution contended Dileep and Suni had planned the recording so that the actress' identity would be unmistakable, with the video of the gold ring intended to convince Dileep that the visuals were genuine.
However, the court noted that this contention was not stated in the first charge sheet and was introduced only in the second one.
As part of this claim, a gold ring was seized after the victim produced it before the police.
The court observed that multiple statements of the victim were recorded from February 18, 2017, following the incident, and that she first raised allegations against Dileep only on June 3, 2017.
Even on that day, nothing was mentioned about filming of the ring as claimed by the prosecution, the court said.
The prosecution failed to explain why the victim did not disclose this fact at the earliest available opportunities.
It further noted that although the victim had viewed the sexual assault visuals twice, she did not mention any specific recording of the gold ring on those occasions, which remained unexplained.
The court also examined the approvers' statements.
One approver told the magistrate that Dileep had instructed Pulsar Suni to record the victim's wedding ring.
The court observed that no such wedding ring was available with her at that time.
During the trial, the approver changed his version, the court said.
The Special Public Prosecutor put a leading question to the approver on whether Dileep had instructed the recording of the ring, after which he deposed that the instruction was to record it to prove the victim's identity.
The court observed that the approver changed his account to corroborate the victim's evidence.
When the same question was put to another approver, he repeated the claim during the trial but admitted he had never stated this fact before the investigating officer.
The court noted that the second approver even went to the extent of claiming Dileep had instructed the execution of the crime as the victim's engagement was over.
This showed that the evidence of the second approver regarding the shooting of the ring was untrue, as her engagement had taken place after the crime.
The court further observed that the visuals themselves clearly revealed the victim's identity and that there was no need to capture images of the ring to establish identity.
In paragraph 887, the court examined the alleged motive behind the crime and noted that in the first charge sheet, the prosecution had claimed that accused persons 1 to 6 had kidnapped the victim with the common intention of capturing nude visuals to extort money by threatening to circulate them and there was no mention about Dileep's role in it.
The court also rejected the prosecution's claim that the accused had been planning the assault on Dileep's instructions since 2013, noting that the allegation was not supported by reliable evidence.
It similarly ruled out the claim that Suni attempted to sexually assault the victim in Goa in January 2017, stating that witness statements showed no such misconduct when he served as the driver of the vehicle used by the actress there.
The court also discussed various controversies that followed Dileep's arrest and the evidence relied upon by the prosecution, ultimately finding that the case had not been proved.
Pronouning its verdict on the sensational case on December 8, the court acquitted Dileep and three others.
Later, the court sentenced six accused, including the prime accused Suni, to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment.
The assault on the multilingual actress, after the accused allegedly forced their way into her car and held it under their control for two hours on February 17, 2017, had shocked Kerala.
Pulsar Suni sexually assaulted the actress and video recorded the act with the help of the other convicted persons in the moving car.
