MADHAVI Vs. VILLAGE OFFICER

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner has filed this writ petition seeking to quash Exhibit P4 stop memo dtd. 27/9/2016 issued by the Village Officer, Vazhakkad Village, Malappuram District, respondent No.1, under the provisions of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008 ('Act, 2008' for short).

(2.) From the impugned Exhibit P4 notice, I find that the Village Officer directed the petitioner to stop reclamation of paddy field situated in re-survey No. 212/9, Block No. 19 of Vazhakkad Village. However, a further direction was issued in Exhibit P4 to the petitioner to restore the paddy field.

(3.) The paramount contention advanced in the writ petition is that the Village Officer is not vested with any powers under the provisions of the Act, 2008 to issue directions to restore the paddy field, even though he is vested with powers to issue a stop memo to stop conversion of the paddy field. The issue is guided by Sec. 12 of the Act, 2008 and therefore, it is only appropriate that the said provision is extracted and it reads thus: