1 October 2026
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas of the Kerala High Court directed the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly to take appropriate steps, as he feels fit and in accordance with law, on the plea to disqualify Pala MLA Mani C Kappan.
The court said the Speaker must act bearing in mind the provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, at the earliest and without undue delay.
The petition was filed by businessman Dinesh Menon after Kappan was convicted in four cheque dishonour cases.
The convictions carried sentences adding up to three and a half years of imprisonment.
The plea invoked Article 192 of the Constitution and Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act.
The High Court did not record findings on the merits and left the decision to the Speaker.
Constituency:
Pala
Total sentence:
Three and a half years
Provisions cited:
Article 192; Section 8(3), Representation of the People Act
Why it matters for exams: Disqualification of a legislator on conviction, and the Speaker's role in deciding it, is a standard polity question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Article 192 Article 192 of the Constitution of India — It provides that questions about a sitting member's disqualification in a State legislature are decided by the Governor, on the Election Commission's opinion.
RP Act Representation of the People Act, 1951 — Section 8(3) disqualifies a convicted legislator sentenced to imprisonment of two years or more.
1 October 2026
The Advocate General told a Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. that the process to constitute the Kerala State Waqf Board has already been initiated and an affidavit will be filed after a fortnight.
The government said the work is complete at the government level and awaits Cabinet approval, and that the composition would be settled within two weeks.
The petitions challenge the Board's composition for not including non-Muslim members as required by the amended Waqf Act of 2025, and for leaving out Shia, Bohra and Aghakhani representation.
The lead matter is WP(PIL) 135/2026, Assembly of Christian Trust Services v. State of Kerala, heard with connected petitions.
Petitioners also objected to details of the disputed Munambam land being uploaded to the UMEED portal.
The court posted the case for hearing after four weeks.
Timeline given:
Two weeks
Case:
WP(PIL) 135/2026
Bench:
Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M.
Why it matters for exams: The amended Waqf Act's requirement of non-Muslim members on State Waqf Boards is a live polity and current-affairs topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Waqf Waqf — A permanent dedication of property for religious or charitable purposes under Muslim law.
PIL Public Interest Litigation — A petition filed in the public interest rather than for the petitioner's own grievance.
1 October 2026
Justice Viju Abraham held that the mandatory one-year senior residency obligation of postgraduate doctors from government medical colleges begins on the date the examination result is published, and not on the date they are actually posted.
The judge said the obligation starts from the date of publication of the result irrespective of whether a posting could be granted soon after.
The court described postgraduate doctors being left idle without a posting as a national waste.
The government was directed to decide within one month whether to create supernumerary posts for the petitioners or to relieve them of the bond obligation.
The judgment is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 539 in WP(C) Nos. 25441 and 9651 of 2026.
The court referred to the earlier Division Bench decision in Ayisha Beegam v. State of Kerala.
Bond period:
One year
Time given to government:
One month
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 539
Why it matters for exams: Service bonds in government medical education and the courts' reading of them recur in Kerala current affairs.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Senior residency Senior residency — A period of service a postgraduate medical graduate performs in a hospital after completing the PG course.
Supernumerary post Supernumerary post — A post created over and above the sanctioned strength, usually for a limited purpose or period.
1 October 2026
A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar appointed retired High Court judge Justice V G Arun as observer for the selection of the Melsanthis of the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha temple and the Malikappuram temple.
The interviews are to be held on 5 October at the Travancore Devaswom Board headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.
The court directed that the entire interview proceedings be video recorded, that interview marks be entered using ball point pens only, and that Justice Arun countersign the mark sheets.
The video recordings, mark lists and shortlist are to be placed before the court in a sealed cover by 15 October.
The draw of lots that decides the final selection may be held only after the court examines the material and issues further orders, and the observer must be present for it.
After vigilance scrutiny, 5 candidates out of 48 applicants for Sabarimala and 3 out of 30 for Malikappuram were recommended for interview.
Observer:
Retired Justice V G Arun
Interview date:
5 October
Records due in sealed cover:
By 15 October
Why it matters for exams: Judicial supervision of Travancore Devaswom Board appointments is a recurring Kerala governance topic.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
TDB Travancore Devaswom Board — The statutory board that administers Sabarimala and other temples in the former Travancore region.
Melsanthi Melsanthi — The chief priest of a temple, selected at Sabarimala for a fixed term.
1 October 2026
Justice Harisankar V Menon allowed a couple who had crossed the age limit under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 to continue in vitro fertilisation treatment.
The couple had exceeded the age ceiling set by Section 21(g) of the Act, and the hospital declined to provide the treatment they sought.
The court required them to file a notarised undertaking accepting all risks, consequences and liabilities of the procedure.
The judge followed a Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling of May 2026 that had granted similar relief on the same conditions.
Provision:
Section 21(g), ART (Regulation) Act, 2021
Condition imposed:
Notarised undertaking accepting all risks
Why it matters for exams: The ART Act's age ceiling and how courts have read it is a frequently asked law-and-society point.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ART Assisted Reproductive Technology — Medical techniques such as IVF used to achieve pregnancy, regulated in India by a 2021 Act.
IVF In vitro fertilisation — Fertilisation of an egg by sperm outside the body, after which the embryo is transferred to the womb.
1 October 2026
A Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau inquiry was ordered into the construction of the LIFE Mission flat complex at Mundamveli in Kochi. The complex has 77 flats and was built at a cost of about Rs 17 crore. The families living there were shifted in 2024 from the P&T Colony near the Perandoor Canal at Kadavanthra. The Greater Cochin Development Authority oversaw the work and the Thrissur District Labour Contract Cooperative Society was the contractor. Serious defects appeared soon after the families moved in, including septic tank overflow and water seeping through the walls. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala ordered the inquiry, and GCDA engineers and the society secretary have been named in it.
Flats in the complex:
77
Construction cost:
about Rs 17 crore
Supervising agency:
Greater Cochin Development Authority
Investigating agency:
Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau
Why it matters for exams: LIFE Mission is Kerala's flagship housing scheme and questions on its implementing agencies and oversight bodies are common.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
LIFE Mission Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment Mission — Kerala's housing scheme for landless and homeless families.
GCDA Greater Cochin Development Authority — The statutory development authority for the Kochi region.
VACB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau — Kerala's agency for investigating corruption by public servants.
1 October 2026
On the International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2026, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said a law will be framed to provide a legal guarantee to senior citizens.
He said the care is not a charity by the government but the right of senior citizens.
Kerala has set up a Department of Senior Citizens, which the Chief Minister described as the first such department in the country, as promised by the UDF in its assembly election campaign.
Satheesan said senior citizens will form nearly 38 per cent of Kerala's population by 2036, against 19 per cent for the country.
The government will prepare a register of senior citizens and the difficulties they face, and start a training course for caregivers.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala referred to the United Nations vision of rethinking systems for longer lives.
The state-level observance was held in Thiruvananthapuram.
Senior citizens in Kerala by 2036:
nearly 38 per cent
Senior citizens in India:
19 per cent
Observance:
International Day of Older Persons, 1 October
Why it matters for exams: The new Department of Senior Citizens, the proposed law and the 38 per cent projection for 2036 are ready material for questions on welfare administration and Kerala's demography.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UDF United Democratic Front — The Congress-led coalition in Kerala.
1 October 2026
The India Meteorological Department placed Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki under an orange alert on 1 October 2026, warning of very heavy rainfall of 12 to 20 cm in 24 hours.
A yellow alert, for heavy rainfall of 7 to 11 cm in 24 hours, was in force the same day for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad.
Yellow alerts were also issued for 4 October in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam, and for 5 October in Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Malappuram.
Heavy rain is expected in the State through 7 October.
The rain was attributed to an upper-air cyclonic circulation over north coastal Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas.
Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph were forecast.
No fishermen warning was issued.
The districts were warned of waterlogging, poor visibility, fallen trees, flash floods, landslides and crop damage.
Orange alert rainfall:
12 to 20 cm in 24 hours
Yellow alert rainfall:
7 to 11 cm in 24 hours
Wind:
40 to 50 kmph
Orange alert districts:
Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki
Why it matters for exams: The colour-coded alert system and its rainfall thresholds are a recurring Kerala PSC question, and district-wise alerts test map knowledge.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
IMD India Meteorological Department — The national weather agency, which issues the colour-coded rain alerts for Kerala's districts.
1 October 2026
Kerala has submitted a proposal to the Centre that the final notification fix the State's ecologically sensitive area at 8,590.69 sq km, leaving out residential areas, farmland and plantations entirely.
Environment Minister Sunny Joseph submitted the recommendations, which the Information and Public Relations Department announced on 25 September 2026.
The Kasturirangan report of 2013 had put Kerala's ecologically sensitive area at 13,108 sq km across 123 villages.
The Oommen V Oommen Committee revised that to 9,993.7 sq km, made up of 9,107 sq km of forest and 886.7 sq km outside forest land.
Forests account for 29.15 per cent of Kerala's land area.
The draft notification dates to March 2014 and has not been finalised in 13 years.
A central expert committee headed by Dr Sanjay Kumar came to Thiruvananthapuram to hear the State's objections that further restrictions would hurt farming and residents in a densely populated State.
Area Kerala proposes:
8,590.69 sq km
Kasturirangan report, 2013:
13,108 sq km in 123 villages
Oommen V Oommen Committee:
9,993.7 sq km
Forest share of Kerala's land:
29.15 per cent
Why it matters for exams: The Western Ghats ecologically sensitive area figures, the Kasturirangan report and the Oommen V Oommen Committee are standard Kerala PSC and UPSC environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ESA Ecologically Sensitive Area — An area notified by the Union environment ministry in which activities such as mining, quarrying and large construction are restricted.
1 October 2026
Housing Minister Mons Joseph inaugurated Nirmithi Kendram's first 3D printing building technology centre in Kerala at the Nirmithi headquarters in PTP Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram, on 30 September 2026.
The Minister said better construction facilities would be provided in the State's building sector by making use of new technologies.
Through 3D printing technology based on digital design, complex shapes and structures can be built with greater precision.
Completing construction at lower cost, and cutting the time and labour the construction sector needs, are the main gains of the technology.
The Minister described Nirmithi Kendram's shift from traditional construction methods to modern 3D printing technology as a step in keeping with the times.
Minister K Muraleedharan inaugurated the Integrated Skill Training Programme conducted by Nirmithi Kendram at the same event.
State Nirmithi Kendram Director Dr Feby Varghese and Kesnik Chief Technical Officer Santhosh V took part.
Facility:
Kerala's first 3D printing building technology centre of Nirmithi Kendram
Location:
Nirmithi headquarters, PTP Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram
Inaugurated by:
Housing Minister Mons Joseph
Date:
30 September 2026
Training programme launched:
Integrated Skill Training Programme
Why it matters for exams: State firsts and new construction technologies are standing Kerala PSC and UPSC material, and the question usually turns on where the facility came up and which department runs it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
3D printing Three-dimensional printing — A digital-design based method in which a structure is built up layer by layer instead of being cast or laid by hand.
Nirmithi Kendram State Nirmithi Kendram — The State agency in the building sector whose headquarters at PTP Nagar hosts the new centre.