Kerala High Court finds the Witness Protection Scheme still unimplemented and the State's own 2026 draft unnotified

28 October 2026

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. heard a public interest petition asking that the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 be put into practice in Kerala. The Supreme Court had approved that scheme in Mahender Chawla v. Union of India and told every State to implement it. The petition relied on a letter of the State Home Department dated September 19, 2026 saying no government order, notification or circular had been issued on the scheme. A reply under the Right to Information Act dated September 23, 2026 showed that a draft Kerala Witness Protection Scheme, 2026 had reached the government but was never notified. The Bench did not fix a deadline but said it expected early and urgent steps so that the Supreme Court's direction is fully met. The Special Government Pleader asked for time to file a detailed affidavit on the progress, and the case comes up again on 18 November.