29 September 2026
The Kerala High Court Rule Committee decided to delete sub-rule (2) of Rule 54, Order XXI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. The sub-rule required an order attaching immovable property to be proclaimed on or near the property by beat of drum or other customary mode. The decision came to light through a reply from the High Court's public information officer. Courts had been collecting a 'tom-tom' charge of ₹100 per proclamation, raised in 2016 from ₹15.
Provision deleted:
Order XXI Rule 54(2), CPC 1908
Tom-tom charge:
₹100 per proclamation
Why it matters for exams: Changes to civil procedure rules and the High Court's rule-making role are favourite polity and law questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
Justice A. Badharudeen of the Kerala High Court reserved judgment on a plea seeking a direction to register an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the CMRL-Exalogic case. The plea names former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena Vijayan and Mohammed Riyas. The Enforcement Directorate had sent a communication on 7 September under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The question before the court is whether a preliminary enquiry is needed before an FIR is registered on such a communication.
Judge:
Justice A. Badharudeen
ED communication:
7 September, PMLA Section 66(2)
Why it matters for exams: Questions on PMLA Section 66(2), the Prevention of Corruption Act and the FIR-versus-preliminary-enquiry debate recur in law and polity papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
29 September 2026
A state-level conclave on farmer safety and wildlife conflict was held at Thiruvambady. Forest Minister Shibu Baby John inaugurated it, Agriculture Minister Adv. T. Siddique presided and Revenue Minister A.P. Anil Kumar was chief guest. In his concluding speech the Agriculture Minister announced that compensation for crop damage in wildlife attacks will be raised by 100 per cent, that steps have begun to set aside ₹119 crore for natural-calamity crop-loss compensation since 2021 with payment from next month, and that startups developing wildlife-conflict solutions will get ₹4 lakh each initially. The proposals presented at the conclave include priority for the 55 panchayats worst hit by wildlife conflict.
Crop-damage compensation:
Raised by 100 per cent
Calamity crop-loss fund:
₹119 crore
Panchayats proposed for priority:
55
Why it matters for exams: Human-wildlife conflict compensation and state schemes are regular Kerala PSC questions, and the figures are easy to test.
Kerala PSC
29 September 2026
Health, AYUSH and Devaswom Minister K. Muralidharan inaugurated the district-level 11th Ayurveda Day observance at Nanthancode Swaraj Bhavan. He said government Ayurveda hospitals will be raised to a better standard, like allopathy institutions, and the shortage of therapists will be addressed. He acknowledged that inpatient facilities are fewer in the government sector than in the private sector. Local Self-Government Minister K. M. Shaji inaugurated mega screening medical camps at the function.
Occasion:
11th Ayurveda Day, district-level inauguration
Venue:
Nanthancode Swaraj Bhavan
Why it matters for exams: Health-department announcements and AYUSH observances are common in Kerala PSC general-knowledge sections.
Kerala PSC
25 September 2026
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M., found that most courts hearing cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act do not conform to statutory guidelines and lack adequate facilities. The finding follows the judges' own visits to district courts. The petition is a public interest litigation filed by the District Court Bar Association. The Registrar (District Judiciary) was directed to file an affidavit on the number of additional courts required.
Bench:
Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M.
Petitioner:
District Court Bar Association (PIL)
Why it matters for exams: Judicial infrastructure and child-protection law are frequent topics in polity and Kerala PSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
24 September 2026
A Kerala High Court bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K.V. Jayakumar issued time-bound directions on road safety.
The directions cover road design and maintenance, electronic enforcement, private bus operations and black spots.
Local bodies must prepare, within 60 days, inventories of the roads under their control.
For private buses the court ordered minimum gaps between buses, GPS-based monitoring and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition).
The Safe Kerala AI-enabled camera project is to be extended to identified black spots and accident-prone stretches on State Highways.
The first consolidated compliance report is due within 75 days, with the Chief Secretary collating the reports.
The court was told that Kerala recorded 49,889 road accidents, 3,733 deaths and 56,922 injuries in 2025.
Local body road inventory deadline:
60 days / 60 ദിവസം
First compliance report due:
75 days / 75 ദിവസം
Road deaths in 2025:
3,733
Why it matters for exams: Court-ordered deadlines and named enforcement tools (ANPR, GPS, Safe Kerala cameras) are typical Kerala PSC current-affairs facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
During classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikode was dubbed the 'City of Spices' for its role as the major trading point of Eastern spices.
It was the capital of an independent kingdom ruled by the Samoothiris (Zamorins) in the Middle Ages.
It later became the capital of the erstwhile Malabar district under British rule.
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama dropped anchor at Kozhikode on 20 May 1498, opening a trade route between Europe and Malabar.
The English landed in 1615, followed by the French (1698) and the Dutch (1752).
The word calico, a fine hand-woven cotton cloth exported from the port, is thought to have been derived from Calicut.
Nickname:
City of Spices
Medieval rulers:
Samoothiris (Zamorins)
Vasco da Gama anchored:
20 May 1498
Capital under British rule:
Malabar district
Why it matters for exams: Kozhikode's medieval trade and the arrival of Europeans are core Kerala history topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Kerala's sex ratio is 1084 females to 1000 males, higher than the national average.
The Census table on the page (2011, with 2001 for comparison) records an actual population of 33,406,061 and a child sex ratio of 964.
Literacy stands at 94.00 %, with male literacy of 96.11 % and female literacy of 92.07 %.
Density is 860 persons per sq. km.
47.7% of the population lives in urban areas, making Kerala the second-most urbanised major State in India.
The Total Fertility Rate, as per NFHS 2019-2021, is 1.8 children per woman.
Sex ratio:
1084
Child sex ratio:
964
Literacy:
94.00 %
Male literacy:
96.11 %
Female literacy:
92.07 %
Density:
860 persons per sq. km
Why it matters for exams: Census literacy and sex-ratio figures are frequently asked in Kerala PSC, SSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
Section 100 of the Patents Act, 1970 deals with the use of a patented invention for the purposes of government. Deciding a suo motu petition titled In Re Exorbitant Pricing of Life Saving Patented Medicines, the institution now interpreting that provision, the Kerala High Court, held that a notice under Section 100 also includes the entitlement of the government to use the patent or invention for manufacturing the medicine covered by the patent and sell the same to a person, including a needy patient, on a non-commercial basis. The court held that Section 100 is required to be invoked in circumstances where the government is required to intervene, such as an instance where the medicine manufactured on the basis of a patent is being sold at an exorbitant price. It also held that the government requires to collate the required data and arrive at a decision as to whether a particular medicine is affordable or not before proceeding under Section 100. Compulsory licensing is a separate route, provided for in Sections 84 and 92 of the same Act. The proceeding arose from the pricing of the patented breast cancer medicine Ribociclib. Justice Harisankar V. Menon delivered the verdict.
Provision for government use:
Section 100, Patents Act, 1970
Compulsory licensing provisions:
Sections 84 and 92
Case:
In Re Exorbitant Pricing of Life Saving Patented Medicines
Judge:
Justice Harisankar V. Menon
Why it matters for exams: Examiners test the difference between government use of a patent and compulsory licensing, and a High Court reading of Section 100 fixes which section does which.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 the Central Government is empowered to grant exemption from the certification requirements. Festival organisers apply for that exemption in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. A film that does not get the exemption can still be screened if it carries CBFC certification. The body now using this route, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, submitted applications seeking exemption in respect of 347 documentary and short films selected for the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam (IDSFFK), a non-commercial festival intended for registered delegates including filmmakers, film society organizers, film technicians, critics, media persons and students. The Academy withdrew one film, leaving 346 for consideration; of those, 315 were permitted to be screened and another 24 received CBFC certification. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas of the Kerala High Court declined interim relief on the remaining seven documentaries, six of which had been referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs and one to the Ministry of External Affairs for inputs on their content.
Exemption provision:
Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952
Guidelines issued by:
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Films for which exemption was sought:
347
Films permitted to be screened:
315
Why it matters for exams: Aspirants are asked who certifies a film and who can exempt one, and the two are different authorities: the CBFC certifies, while the exemption for a festival comes from the Central Government under the Cinematograph Act.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Koder House is a three-storey red-brick mansion on Tower Road in Fort Kochi, a privately owned heritage property; the fire that tore through its upper floors has renewed attention on how privately owned heritage structures in Fort Kochi can be protected. Ephraim Isaac Koder, who came to Cochin from Baghdad in the 19th century, became part of the city's prominent Paradesi Jewish community, and his descendant Samuel S Koder, popularly known as Satu Koder, extensively remodelled the house in the early 20th century, giving it an Indo-European character with elaborate woodwork and Belgian glass. Samuel Koder registered the Cochin Electric Company in 1926; the company later obtained permission to generate thermal power and supplied electricity to parts of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, with power-generation facilities and utility offices in Mattancherry and Thoppumpady. By 1970 it had more than 130 employees, before the state power board KSEB took over its operations. Samuel Koder served for several years as president of the Paradesi Synagogue, and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Kochi in 1968 for the 400th anniversary celebrations of the Paradesi Synagogue. The Portuguese established their settlement in Kochi in the early 16th century, the Dutch took control of the territory in 1663, and the British in 1795.
Location:
Tower Road, Fort Kochi
Company registered by Samuel Koder:
Cochin Electric Company, 1926
Employees by 1970:
more than 130
Dutch took control of the territory:
1663
Why it matters for exams: Fort Kochi's colonial sequence and the Paradesi Jewish community of Kochi are standard Kerala history questions, and the Koder family links both to the early spread of electricity in West Kochi.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Kerala has four elephant reserves, all established in 2002: Wayanad, Nilambur, Anamudi and Periyar.
Wayanad covers 1,200 sq km across Wayanad, Kannur and Kozhikkode districts.
Nilambur covers 1,419 sq km across Malappuram, Kozhikkode and Palakkad districts.
Anamudi covers 3,728 sq km across Thrissur, Palakkad, Ernakulam and Idukki districts.
Periyar covers 3,742 sq km across Idukki, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram districts.
Together the reserves cover 10,089 sq km of the state.
Elephant numbers recorded in 2012 were Wayanad 1,155, Nilambur 1,044, Anamudi 2,220 and Periyar 1,758.
The reserves aim to safeguard elephant corridors and reduce human-wildlife conflict.
Number of elephant reserves:
4
Largest reserve (Periyar):
3,742 sq km / 3,742 ചതുരശ്ര കിലോമീറ്റർ
Highest elephant count (Anamudi, 2012):
2,220
Why it matters for exams: Elephant reserve names, areas and districts are staple Kerala PSC geography facts.
Kerala PSC
Background
Kerala's Indian Systems of Medicine department functions under the Department of Ayush Kerala.
A director oversees it, with 14 District Medical Officers managing field administration in the districts.
Kerala is described as the first state in India to classify the traditional systems separately as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Yoga and Naturopathy.
The department's stated vision is comprehensive and cost-effective health care through Indian Systems of Medicine.
Idukki district alone has 67 institutions under it: 3 Ayurveda hospitals, 45 Government Ayurveda dispensaries, 5 Government Ayurveda tribal dispensaries, 10 NHM dispensaries, 3 NHM Siddha dispensaries and 1 Government Siddha dispensary.
District Medical Officers:
14
Idukki institutions under the department:
67
Government Ayurveda dispensaries in Idukki:
45
Why it matters for exams: Administrative structure of the Ayush department and Kerala's 'first state' claims are recurring Kerala PSC health-sector questions.
Kerala PSC