The full bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday asked the Pinarayi Vijayan government to return the Rs 10 crore which was received by the Chief Minister Distress Relief Fund from the Guruvayoor Devasom Board in parts for the 2018 Kerala floods and the 2020 Covid pandemic.

The Board had first paid Rs 5 crore when the worst floods of the century devastated Kerala in 2018 and repeated the same in May 2020 when the Covid pandemic struck.

Soon after local BJP leaders and a few other Hindu devotees approached the Kerala High Court that this was unfair to handover the money of the Board to others as the funds are to be used for the Board and for the temples under it.

A division bench of the court after hearing the case had earlier referred it to the full bench, which in its Friady's sitting asked for the money to be returned.

It said the trustee is only the custodian of the Board and rules do not permit these sort of contributions.

The full bench noted that the way on how it should be returned, would be decided by the division bench.