When wild elephant attacks made life unbearable for Maymol P Davis and her family in Ernakulam, she decided to surrender her land to the Forest Department under the Rebuild Kerala Development Programme (RKDP). But what began as a step towards safety turned into a legal battle spanning nearly two years — one she fought single-handedly, without a lawyer, and eventually won.
Maymol, 34, a double postgraduate and former assistant professor, lived with her mother, Moly Davis, a cancer patient, and her brother, George Davis, in Vengoor panchayat, Kombanad taluk. The family had bought 1.5 acres of land in 2005, of which 68.03 cents had a title deed. The land fell within the Kuravanapprakandam settlement in the Malayattoor Forest Division.
Until 2021, they sustained themselves through farming and cattle rearing. But repeated elephant raids devastated their crops and left the livestock injured. “At night, elephants would stand outside our house. We destroyed our banana cultivation to prevent them from coming, but still they didn’t stop,” recalls Maymol.
Her father, Davis, had died. With her mother, Molly, battling breast cancer, and her own health affected by an autoimmune condition that left her right hand partly paralysed after a botched surgery, the family decided to relocate. Under RKDP, each family member is entitled to ₹15 lakh for voluntary resettlement. With three members, including her brother George, their claim stood at ₹45 lakh.
In 2023, they submitted all required documents of the 68.03 cents of land to the Forest Department — except the original document, which had been lost. Despite repeated attempts to trace it from the Taluk office or from neighbouring people, it could not be recovered. The Department rejected the application, insisting that the land not be registered without the document.
For eight months, Maymol approached officials — from the District Collector to the Forest Minister — but with no result. “If the government couldn’t take over the land, they should have at least ensured our safety. The Constitution guarantees the right to property and life,” she argued.
Unable to afford a lawyer, Maymol decided to represent herself in the Kerala High Court. Drawing confidence from the officials at the state Legal Services Society, she studied law on her own, using Delhi University’s LLB syllabus, drafting petitions, and learning court procedures from scratch.
Her first petitions were returned with defects, but she persisted. “Every time I reworked it, the errors reduced. Finally, the petition was admitted,” she says. Over 48 hearings before seven different judges, including the chief justice, she argued her case against experienced government pleaders who ridiculed her chances.
At one stage, Justice Viju Abraham even asked the government whether they planned to release compensation “only after an elephant killed her.” Later, Justice Kauser Edappagath, in July 2024, ordered the department to disburse the full compensation within three months.
Even after repeated court orders, the Forest Department delayed payment. Frustrated, Maymol filed multiple contempt petitions. “It even became a contempt against a contempt,” she says. Only then was half the amount — ₹22.5 lakh — released.
Fearing the balance would also be withheld, she insisted on guarantees before registering the land. Eventually, after she filed an affidavit, the court directed the Forest Department to deposit the remaining amount in court. She registered the land within five days and received the balance amount in August 2025.
Maymol has now filed another case seeking ₹3 lakh in compensation for the prolonged ordeal. “I spent ₹24,000 just on bus fares to Ernakulam. I even sold my gold ring to manage expenses,” she says.
Today, having proved herself against all odds, Maymol is helping others in her locality who face similar delays in securing compensation. “Many families cannot afford lawyers or High Court procedures. I am ready to represent them,” she says.
Though praised now, she remembers the isolation she endured: “Even my family withdrew support gradually. I had to stand alone. But I was never afraid — because my case was built on truth.”
With an MA in History and Archaeology, Maymol briefly worked as an assistant professor in Pune before her health forced her to resign in 2016. Despite constant pain, she is pursuing a PhD in Archaeology and has also sought information from the Medical Commission to reopen her medical negligence case.
Skipping — a hobby she picked up to strengthen her weakened hand — keeps her going. “I live with pain every day, but I am determined to prove myself. The fight for justice has only made me stronger.”