Kerala High Court Division Bench holds that GIDA may set up commercial kiosks at Kochi's Queen's Walkway

8 October 2026

A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has held that the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) is entitled to set up commercial kiosks at the Queen's Walkway in Kochi.
The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, 7 October 2026 by Dr. Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Preeta A.K. in W.A.No.1423 & 1507/2026, and is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 561.
The Bench set aside a Single Bench judgment that had barred the construction, and declared that GIDA has the authority to develop the road and the walkway on the 25 hectares of reclaimed land originally assigned to it in Sy.No.843 of Ernakulam Village for the Vypeen Bridges Project.
The writ petition by the Tritvam Apartment Owners Association had challenged 20 kiosks; the Court found no material showing that the apartment purchase agreements gave the petitioners any right over the road or the walkway.
GIDA's proposal, placed in an additional affidavit, keeps a clear and unobstructed walkway 2.5m wide, separated from the kiosk space by steel handrails.
The Court recorded that GIDA is a 'State' under Article 12 of the Constitution of India and is therefore obliged to safeguard the right of pedestrians to an obstruction-free walkway once the walkway is opened to public access.