Court mandates compliance with statutory requirements for assessing land suitability under conservation laws.

JUDGMENT

This writ petition is filed seeking the following reliefs: “i. To call for the records leading to Exhibit P6 and Issue a writ of Certiorari or any other appropriate writ, order or direction quashing Exhibit P6 order dated 16.12.2024 passed by the 1^st respondent;

ii. Issue a writ of Mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order or direction directing the 1^st respondent to reconsider Exhibit P5 Form–5 application submitted by the petitioner, after obtaining and considering the report of the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSRSEC) and the report of the Local Level Monitoring Committee (LLMC), and after affording the petitioner an opportunity of hearing;

iii. To declare that the petitioner’s property having been converted much prior to the coming into force of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act , 2008 is entitled to be considered for removal from the Data Bank in accordance with law.

iv. Grant such other reliefs as this Hon’ble Court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case.

v. Dispense with the filing of translation of vernacular documents.”

[SIC]

2. The petitioner is aggrieved by the order passed by the

1^st respondent rejecting the Form–5 application submitted by him under the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Rules, 2008 (‘Rules’, for brevity). The main grievance of the petitioner is that the authorised officer has not considered the contentions of the petitioner.

3. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Government Pleader.

4. This Court perused the impugned order. I am of the considered opinion that the authorised officer has failed to comply with the statutory requirements. The impugned order was passed by the authorised officer solely based on the report of the Agricultural Officer. There is no indication in the order that the authorised officer has directly inspected the property or called for the satellite pictures as mandated under Rule 4(4f) of the Rules. There is no independent finding regarding the nature and character of the land as on the relevant date by the authorised officer. Moreover, the authorised officer has not considered whether the exclusion of the property would prejudicially affect the surrounding paddy fields.

5. This Court in Muraleedharan Nair R v. Revenue Divisional Officer [2023 (4) KHC 524] , Sudheesh U v. The Revenue Divisional Officer, Palakkad [2023 (2) KLT 386] , and Joy K.K. v. The Revenue Divisional Officer/Sub Collector, Ernakulam [2021 (1) KLT 433] , observed that the competent authority is obliged to assess the nature, lie and character of the land and its suitability for paddy cultivation as on 12.08.2008, which are the decisive criteria to determine whether the property merits exclusion from the data bank. The impugned order is not in accordance with the principle laid down by this Court in the above judgments. Therefore, I am of the considered opinion that the impugned order is to be set aside.

Therefore, this Writ Petition is allowed in the following manner:

1. Ext.P5 order is set aside.

2. The 1^st respondent/authorised o to reconsider Ext.P6 Form – 5 application in accordance with the law. The authorised officer shall either conduct a personal inspection of the property or, alternatively, call for the satellite pictures, in accordance with Rule 4(4f) of the Rules, at the cost of the petitioner, if not already called for.

3. If satellite pictures are called for, the application shall be disposed of within three months from the date of receipt of such pictures. On the other hand, if the authorised officer opts to personally inspect the property, the application shall be considered and disposed of within two months from the