Thrissur: The Kerala High Court has ordered the state government to repay Rs 1,510 crore diverted from the Agricultural promotion fund, which was collected from the public as a fee for paddy land conversion. The court found that the state government had violated legal stipulations by using these funds for unintended purposes other than for agricultural development. 

The order, issued by Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S Manu, was pronounced while considering a petition filed by T N Mukundan, a resident of Velupadam in Thrissur. The petition was based on a report published by Manorama. 

The high court order states that all funds spent for unintended purposes should be returned within one year and any fees collected in the future should be directly deposited into the Agricultural promotion fund. The fund's declared purpose was to reclaim agricultural land that had been converted without authorisation.

As per the order, 25 per cent must be reimbursed within four months. The remaining 75 per cent should be repaid in instalments at intervals of four months each. The government has been given two months to determine how to appropriately use the restored funds. The order also requires annual audits, with reports published on the relevant department's website.

According to the law, fees collected from land conversion were to be deposited in the Agricultural promotion fund and used solely to promote agriculture. Additionally, the law specified that the authority to manage the account lies with the Land Revenue Commissioner.