Sri Kevin Mathew & Asha T. Pulickal v Revenue Divisional Officer, Muvattupuzha; Village Officer, Manjalloor; Local Level Monitoring Committee, Manjalloor; State of Kerala (W.P.(C).No. 8231 of 2015)

## **IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM** ## **PRESENT:** ## **THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE P.B.SURESH KUMAR** **MONDAY, THE 27TH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2017/6TH AGRAHAYANA, 1939** ## **WP(C).No. 8231 of 2015 (D)** **----------------------------------------** **PETITIONER(S) : -------------------------** **1. SRI. KEVIN MATHEW, S/O.GEORGE, NIRAPEL HOUSE, THODUPUZHA P.O., IDUKKI DISTRICT.** **2. ASHA T.PULICKAL, W/O.KEVIN MATHEW, NIRAPEL HOUSE, THODUPUZHA P.O., IDUKKI DISTRICT.** **BY ADVS. SRI.RAJAN JOSEPH SRI.KOSHY GEORGE** **RESPONDENT(S) :** - **-----------------------------** **1. REVENUE DIVISIONAL OFFICER, MUVATTUPUZHA,ERNAKULAM DISTRICT-686 661.** **2. VILLAGE OFFICER, VILLAGE OFFICE, MANJALLOOR, ERNAKULAM DISTRICT-686 662.** **3. LOCAL LEVEL MONITORING COMMITTEE, MANJALLOOR, REP. BY ITS CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT, MANJALLOOR GRAMA PANCHAYAT, MANJALLOOR, ERNAKULAM DISTRICT-686 662.** **4. STATE OF KERALA, REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY, REVENUE DEPARTMENT, SECRETARIAT, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM-695 001.** **BY GOVERNMENT PLEADER SRI.K.J.MANURAJ** **THIS WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON 27-11-2017, ALONG WITH W.P(C).NO. 37635 OF 2015 AND CONNECTED CASES, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING:** **Msd.** ## **WP(C).No. 8231 of 2015 (D)** ## **----------------------------------------** ## **APPENDIX** ## **PETITIONER(S)' EXHIBITS :** **EXT P1 : A TRUE COPY OF THE TAX RECEIPT ISSUED BY THE VILLAGE OFFICER, MANJALLOOR DATED 12-08-2013 IN RESPECT OF THE PETITIONER'S PROPERTY.** **EXT P2 : A TRUE COPY OF THE DOCUMENT NO.821/2013 OF THE KALLOORKADU SUB REGISTRY.** - **EXT P3 : A TRUE COPY OF THE APPLICATION DATED 21-11-2014 SUBMITTED BEFORE THE 1ST RESPONDENT BY THE PETITIONERS.** - **EXT P4 : A TRUE COPY REPORT DATED 12-02-2015 SUBMITTED BY THE SECOND RESPONDENT TO THE FIRST RESPONDENT.** **EXT P5 : A TRUE COPY OF THE REPRESENTATION DATED 28-02-2015 SUBMITTED BEFORE THE THIRD RESPONDENT BY THE PETITIONERS.** **EXT P6 : PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE LANDS IN SY.NO.134/17 AND NEARBY LANDS SHOWING THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE LAND.** ## **RESPONDENT(S)' EXHIBITS :** **//TRUE COPY//** **P.A.TO JUDGE.** **Msd.** **NIL** ## **P.B.SURESH KUMAR, J.** **--------------------------------------------** **W.P.(C).Nos.8231 & 37635 of 2015, 6330, 26623 & 40983 of 2016, 2348, 6739, 7081, 8637, 9479, 9514, 12725, 13263, 13462, 13700, 13949, 17318, 18047, 18352 & 34232 of 2017** **---------------------------------------------------------------** **Dated this the 27[th] day of November, 2017** ## **JUDGMENT** The case of the petitioners in this batch of writ petitions is that the properties owned by them as referred to in the writ petitions were originally paddy lands, but converted as garden lands several years prior to the introduction of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008 ('the Act'). It is alleged by the petitioners that though the properties were converted as garden lands prior to the introduction of the Act, the properties are included in the Data Bank prepared under the Act and as such, they are unable to make use the properties for other purposes including construction of buildings. It is alleged in WPC 8231/15 & con. cases 2 some of the writ petitions that the building permits applied for by the petitioners therein are not being considered for the aforesaid reason. In some other writ petitions, it is alleged that the buildings constructed by the petitioners therein are not being numbered on account of the said reason. According to the petitioners, since the properties were converted prior to the Act, the same should not have been shown in the Data Bank. In most of the cases, petitioners have preferred applications before the Local Level Monitoring Committees concerned for correction of the entries relating to their properties in the Data Bank and the applications preferred by the petitioners for the said purpose are part of the records. The petitioners seek directions in these writ petitions to the Local Level Monitoring Committees concerned to correct the entires in the Data Bank in relation to their properties. They also seek orders for correction of the entry relating to their properties in the revenue records. Some of the petitioners, among others, seek directions to the local authorities concerned to grant WPC 8231/15 & con. cases 3 building permits applied for by them and some others seek directions to the local authorities concerned to assign numbers to the buildings constructed by them on the strength of the building permits issued to them. 2. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioners as also the learned Government Pleader. 3. If the properties of the petitioners are converted prior to the Act, the provisions of the Act would not apply to the same, as held by the Apex Court in **Revenue Divisional Officer** v. **Jalaja Dileep** (2015(1) KLT 984). But, the question whether the properties are converted prior to the Act as claimed by the petitioners is a matter to be considered by the Local Level Monitoring Committees at the first instance. It is all the more so since the Local Level Monitoring Committees are empowered to correct the mistake, if any, in the Data Bank. True, if the provisions of the Act would not apply to the properties of the petitioners, they are entitled to make use of the properties for other purposes including construction of buildings, after obtaining WPC 8231/15 & con. cases 4 permission of the competent authority under the Kerala Land Utilization Order [See **Puthan Purakkal Joseph** v. **Sub Collector** (2015(3) KLT 182)]. 4. The learned Government Pleader pointed out that the applications preferred by some of the petitioners for correction of the entries in the Data Bank as referred to in the writ petition are not in the prescribed form. In the aforesaid facts and circumstances, the writ petitions are disposed of permitting the petitioners to prefer applications in the prescribed form, wherever such applications are not filed, before the Local Level Monitoring Committees concerned for correction of the entries in the Data Bank in relation to their properties. It is also directed that if the petitioners prefer applications in the prescribed form as directed above along with copy of the judgment and the writ petition, the same shall be considered by the Local Level Monitoring Committees concerned, after obtaining reports from the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSRSEC) as to the position of the WPC 8231/15 & con. cases 5 properties at the time of commencement of the Act. The petitioners shall pay the fees stipulated by the KSRSEC for issuing their report if directed so by the Conveners of the Local Level Monitoring Committees. Needless to say that in cases where reports have already been called for from the KSRSEC at the expense of the petitioners pursuant to interim orders passed in the writ petitions, orders shall be passed on the strength of the said reports. The direction aforesaid shall be complied with, within three months from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment, in cases where applications in the prescribed form have already been filed, and within three months from the date of receipt of the applications, in other cases. If the requests made by the petitioners are allowed, they are entitled to prefer applications invoking Clause 6 of the Kerala Land Utilization Order before the competent authority viz, the District Collector/the Revenue Divisional Officer for permission to make use of the properties for other purposes, in cases where applications have not been filed by the petitioners for WPC 8231/15 & con. cases 6 the said purpose and in that event, the competent authority under the Kerala Land Utilization Order shall pass orders on those applications within one month from the date of production of the decision of the Local Level Monitoring Committee and the application under the Kerala Land Utilization Order, wherever applicable, along with a copy of the writ petition, in the light of the decision of this Court in **Puthan Purakkal Joseph** _(supra),_ untrammelled by Circular No.46848/P1/2016 dated 22.12.2016 issued by the Government. If the requests of the petitioners under Clause 6 of the Kerala Land Utilization Order are granted, the petitioners shall be issued building permits or assigned building numbers, as the case may be, if they are otherwise entitled for the same, by the local authorities concerned. Needless to say that if the requests of the petitioners under Clause 6 of the Kerala Land Utilization Order are granted, they will also be entitled to move the authorities under the Kerala Land Tax Act for fresh assessment of the lands as garden lands and if such requests are made by the WPC 8231/15 & con. cases 7 petitioners, the same shall also be considered by the said authorities, in the light of **Kizhakkambalam Grama Panchayat v. Mariumma** (2015(2) KLT 516), within one month from the date of their respective requests. Sd/- **P.B.SURESH KUMAR JUDGE** rsr