HC imposes ₹10,000 fine on former Palakkad RDO

The Kerala High Court imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on a former Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) of Palakkad for allegedly causing a landowner to reapply to the court for the second time for reclassification of his land recorded as nilam (paddy field) in the Revenue records.

In his petition, C. Vinumon, a landowner from Palakkad, Kannadi, challenged the decision of the RDO, which rejected his application to change the nature of his property in the records without issuing any speaking order. This was allegedly done despite the Supreme Court directing it to reconsider the matter. He claimed that the property was converted in 2008, before the relevant law was enacted, and was stated as fallow land in the records.

The former RDO claimed that he signed the order prepared by a junior inspector in his office as he was busy with his post-election duties.

Stating that the authorized officers are not lay persons and are senior officers of the Civil service, the court said that the present case is an apt example of an authorized officer issuing a boilerplate decision even after the court set aside the same order and directed it to be reconsidered. It was also noted that the same sequence was repeated without any changes, including changing the sentences.