1 October 2026
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas of the Kerala High Court disposed of a writ petition filed by Dinesh Menon seeking a declaration that Pala MLA Mani C Kappan stands disqualified.
The Court directed the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Kerala to take appropriate steps as he feels fit in accordance with law, at the earliest and without undue delay.
Kappan was convicted on September 1, 2026 in four cheque dishonour cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
The petition had also sought that a bye-election be held in the Pala constituency.
The case is Dinesh Menon v. State of Kerala and Ors., reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 539.
Case:
Dinesh Menon v. State of Kerala and Ors.
Judge:
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas
Constituency:
Pala
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 539
Why it matters for exams: The disqualification of a sitting MLA on conviction, and the Speaker's role in acting on it, is standard polity material for Kerala PSC and UPSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Negotiable Instruments Act Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 — The central law under which the dishonour of a cheque is a punishable offence.
Writ petition Writ petition under Article 226 — A petition before a High Court seeking a direction or order against a public authority.
30 September 2026
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas dismissed a petition by an Indian citizen and his wife, a Pakistani national whom he married at Dubai, seeking that she be allowed to apply for a visa to attend a family wedding in India.
The Court held that no foreign national, even if he or she is the spouse of an Indian citizen, has a vested right to demand entry into India.
It held that the issuance of a visa is a sovereign function bound up with national security and foreign policy.
The Court noted the Union Government order of April 25, 2025 suspending visa services for Pakistani nationals after the Pahalgam attack of April 22, 2025.
It referred to Section 3 of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and to the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which replaced it.
The case is Unaiz Kadumbottil and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors., WP(C) No. 22580 of 2026, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 535.
Case:
Unaiz Kadumbottil and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors.
Writ petition number:
WP(C) No. 22580 of 2026
Citation:
2026:KER:63060
Judge:
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas
Why it matters for exams: The rights of foreigners under Articles 14 and 21, and the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, are current polity topics for UPSC and Kerala PSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Foreigners Act, 1946 The Foreigners Act, 1946 — The older central law that gave the Union Government power to regulate the entry and stay of foreigners.
Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 — The new central law on immigration that replaced the Foreigners Act, 1946.
3 October 2026
Kerala has moved the Supreme Court seeking relaxation of an interim order of April 13 that bars change of land use within 40 metres of the midpoint of a National Highway for residential buildings and within 75 metres for commercial buildings. The application has gone before the bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. The State has asked that existing buildings be allowed repairs, reconstruction and renovation, that road access and trade licences be preserved, and that the 45-metre highway width adopted in Kerala be taken into account. Kerala told the court that it has 12 National Highways running 1,858 km as of 2025, and that its road length of 5.3 km per 1,000 people is above the all-India figure of 4.5 km. The State cited its high population density and its narrow stretch between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, noting that National Highway 66 alone passes through five corporations, 25 municipalities and 66 panchayats, with 60 per cent of the corridor already built up.
Setback for houses:
40 metres
Setback for commercial buildings:
75 metres
National Highways in Kerala:
12, running 1,858 km
Road length per 1,000 people:
5.3 km in Kerala, 4.5 km all-India
Why it matters for exams: Setback rules along National Highways touch land use, local self-government powers and Centre-State administration, all recurring themes in Kerala PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Setback Building setback — The minimum distance a building must keep from a road or boundary line.
NHAI National Highways Authority of India — The central body that builds and manages National Highways.
1 October 2026
Three blood centres in Malappuram district won six State awards from the Kerala State Blood Transfusion Council, presented in Thiruvananthapuram on October 1, 2026, National Voluntary Blood Donation Day, by Health Minister K. Muraleedharan. The blood centre at Manjeri Government Medical College took two awards, for the highest collection through voluntary donation camps in the medical college category and for implementing the Blood Bag Traceability Project. The Perinthalmanna District Hospital blood bank took three awards, for the highest voluntary donation at the district hospital level with 12,885 units, for organising the most camps with 255 camps yielding 8,262 units, and for the second phase of the Blood Bag Traceability Project. The Nilambur District Hospital blood bank came first among district hospitals in implementing the traceability project. The traceability system records every stage from collection to transfusion so that each blood bag can be traced back.
Awards to Malappuram centres:
6
Perinthalmanna voluntary donation:
12,885 units
Camps organised at Perinthalmanna:
255 camps, 8,262 units
Why it matters for exams: National Voluntary Blood Donation Day and the State Blood Transfusion Council recur in Kerala PSC health and awards questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KSBTC Kerala State Blood Transfusion Council — The State body that regulates and supports blood banks and voluntary donation in Kerala.
Blood Bag Traceability Blood Bag Traceability Project — A record system that tracks a blood bag from collection to the patient who receives it.
1 October 2026
Public Works Minister P. K. Basheer inaugurated the Thuvvakkad bridge in Edavanna panchayat, Malappuram district, on October 1, 2026. The bridge was built at a cost of ₹5.6 crore, is 9 metres wide and carries footpaths on both sides. Landowners along the alignment gave up land voluntarily for the approach roads, which the Minister acknowledged at the function. He said the bridge gives permanent relief to residents who had faced difficulty in crossing. The Minister also said a bridge is being built at Aryanthodika at a cost of ₹31.43 crore, with tender steps beginning this month, the tender to be opened in November and construction expected to start in the first week of December, and that a further bridge across the Chaliyar is planned in Edavanna panchayat.
Cost of the bridge:
₹5.6 crore
Width:
9 metres
Sanction for Ariyantholika bridge:
₹31.43 crore
Why it matters for exams: Named public works with their cost and the minister in charge are the kind of State-infrastructure detail Kerala PSC current-affairs papers test.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
PWD Public Works Department — The State department that builds and maintains roads, bridges and government buildings.
1 October 2026
The Kerala Council for Historical Research has invited applications for internships in its Online Digital Archive Project. KCHR is an autonomous research institution under the Higher Education Department of the Government of Kerala. Applicants must hold a bachelor's or postgraduate degree in History or in Malayalam. Detailed biodata is to be sent by email to the Council with the subject line 'Application for Internship - Online Digital Archive Project'. The last date to apply is October 5, 2026. The project digitises historical records so that they can be read online rather than only in the archive room.
Qualification:
Degree or postgraduate degree in History or Malayalam
Last date:
October 5, 2026
Why it matters for exams: KCHR and the State's archive institutions appear in Kerala PSC questions on culture, research bodies and higher education.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KCHR Kerala Council for Historical Research — An autonomous research institution under Kerala's Higher Education Department that works on the State's history and archives.
Digital archive Digital archive — A collection of records scanned and stored electronically so that readers can use them without handling the originals.
Background
The Kerala High Court has left the question of the Pala MLA's disqualification to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Kerala, which makes the office worth knowing.
The Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly is Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who holds the degrees BA and LLB.
He represents the Kottayam constituency in the House.
The Legislature lists the Speaker's official residence as 'Neethi' in the Legislature Complex at Thiruvananthapuram, and the office e-mail as speaker@niyamasabha.nic.in.
The present House is the Sixteenth Kerala Legislative Assembly.
The Speaker presides over the sittings of the House and is the authority before whom questions touching the membership of the House are placed.
Speaker:
Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan
Constituency:
Kottayam
Qualification:
BA, LLB
House:
Sixteenth Kerala Legislative Assembly
Why it matters for exams: The Speaker's name, constituency and role in the House are standard Kerala PSC questions and the background to the current disqualification matter.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Niyamasabha Kerala Niyamasabha (Kerala Legislative Assembly) — The unicameral legislature of the State of Kerala, seated at Thiruvananthapuram.
Background
Palakkad is one of the fourteen districts of Kerala and has no coastal line.
The district opens the State to the rest of the country through the Palakkad Gap, with a width of 32 to 40 km.
The present Palakkad district was formed as an administrative unit on the first of January 1957, comprising Palakad, Perinthalmanna, Ponnani, Ottapalam, Alathur and Chittur.
When Malappuram district was formed, parts of Palakkad were transferred to it and a new taluk, Mannarkkad, was formed.
In 2013 Ottapalam taluk was bifurcated and Pattambi taluk was formed.
The district now has 2 revenue divisions, 6 taluks and 157 revenue villages, with 7 municipalities, 13 block panchayats and 88 village panchayats.
The district headquarters is at Palakkad Town and the Collectorate is in the Civil Station there.
The district is one of the main granaries of Kerala, its economy is primarily agricultural and it is also called the land of Palmyrahs.
The first District Collector of the district was Sri K. C. Sankaranarayanan IAS.
Formed as an administrative unit:
1 January 1957
Width of the Palakkad Gap:
32 to 40 km
Taluks:
6
Village panchayats:
88
Revenue villages:
157
Why it matters for exams: District formation dates, taluk and local body counts and the Palakkad Gap are standard Kerala geography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Taluk Taluk — A revenue subdivision of a district headed by a Tahsildar.
Revenue village Revenue village — The smallest unit of land records administration in a district.
Background
Malappuram district, literally the land atop the hills, was formed on the 16th of June 1969.
It is bounded by the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts in the north and Palakkad and Thrissur districts in the south.
The district has a geographical area of 3550 sq. kms, which is 9.13% of the total area of the State, and ranks 3rd in the State.
Four important rivers of Kerala flow through the district: the Chaliyar, the Kadalundippuzha, the Bharathapuzha and the Tirurpuzha.
The Chaliyar has a length of 169 km, originates from the Illambaleri hills in Tamil Nadu and flows into the sea at Beypore in Kozhikode district.
The Kadalundippuzha is formed by the confluence of the Olipuzha and the Veliyar and has a course of 130 km, reaching the sea at Kadalundi Nagaram; the Tirurpuzha is 48 km long and rises in the Athavanad hills in Tirur taluk.
Of these rivers only the Chaliyar is perennial, which is why the district is prone to drought.
The district has a total forest area of 758.8684 sq km, of which 325.3261 sq km is reserve forest and 433.5423 sq km vested forest, protected by the Nilambur North and Nilambur South divisions.
Malappuram was the military headquarters of the Zamorins of Kozhikode and was home to the Khilafath movement and the Mappila revolts.
District formed:
16 June 1969
Geographical area:
3550 sq. kms
Share of the State's area:
9.13%
Length of the Chaliyar:
169 KMs
Total forest area:
758.8684 Square km
Why it matters for exams: River sources and lengths, district formation dates and area shares are repeatedly asked in the Kerala geography section.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Perennial river Perennial river — A river that carries water through the whole year instead of drying up in summer.
Vested forest Vested forest — Private forest land that vested in the State government under Kerala's private forests legislation.
Zamorin Zamorin — The title of the ruler of Kozhikode in medieval Kerala.
Background
Kottayam, in central Kerala, is the administrative capital of Kottayam district and is also called Akshara Nagari, the city of letters.
The district is bordered by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and the paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west, which has given it the title the land of letters, legends, latex and lakes.
Kottayam town was the first town in India to achieve 100% literacy, a feat achieved as early as in 1989.
English education in South India started at the Old Seminary at Kottayam in 1813.
The first printing press in Kerala, the CMS Press, was established there in 1821 by Rev. Benjamin Baily.
The first college in the State, CMS College, was started at Kottayam in 1840, and the first printed Malayalam-English and English-Malayalam dictionaries were published from Kottayam in 1846 and 1847 respectively.
The first and only cooperative society of writers, authors and publishers, the SPCS, was set up there in 1945.
Most of India's natural rubber originates from the plantations of Kottayam, which is also home to the Rubber Board.
Kottayam was the first town in India selected by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to be transformed as an Eco City, and the former President K. R. Narayanan hailed from the district.
First town in India with 100% literacy:
Kottayam, in 1989
First printing press in Kerala:
CMS Press, 1821
First college in the State:
CMS College, 1840
Dictionaries published from Kottayam:
1846 and 1847
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's firsts in printing, education and literacy are asked in almost every State-level general knowledge paper.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SPCS Sahitya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society — The cooperative society of writers, authors and publishers set up at Kottayam.
Akshara Nagari Akshara Nagari — A Malayalam name meaning city of letters, used for Kottayam.