7 October 2026
Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan of the Kerala High Court decided the writ petition of Sindhu S. Nair, headmistress of Eeswara Vilasom High School, Kottarakkara.
The school Manager had told her to wear only a saree, and security stopped her at the gate when she wore a churidar.
She relied on a Director of General Education circular dated 20.11.2015 on teachers' dress code, which does not bar churidars.
The Court held that what dress one wears is ordinarily a matter of personal choice, and that no one can dictate it without the backing of law.
It directed the Station House Officer to ensure she enters the school freely for the rest of her service.
It passed no order on disciplinary action against the Manager, as an enquiry is pending.
Judge:
Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan
Case:
WP(C) No. 6142 of 2026
Circular:
20.11.2015
Why it matters for exams: Shows how courts read personal choice and dignity as part of fundamental rights, and the limit on a school manager's authority over teaching staff.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Writ petition Writ petition under Article 226 — A petition to the High Court for enforcing rights.
SHO Station House Officer — The police officer in charge of a police station.
7 October 2026
Justice C.S. Dias of the Kerala High Court dismissed CRL.MC No. 8147 of 2026, Mohammed J.I. and others v. State of Kerala, on Wednesday, 7 October 2026.
The petitioners, who face trial for the 2018 stabbing of SFI activist Abhimanyu at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, sought an in-camera trial.
The Court found no error or illegality in the Sessions Court order refusing it, and relied on Section 366 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, under which open court is the rule.
The trial court and police must ensure nobody photographs or video-records the trial or the accused inside the courtroom.
The trial court may consider restricting public entry while eyewitnesses are examined.
Case:
CRL.MC No. 8147 of 2026
Provision:
Section 366 BNSS
Judge:
Justice C.S. Dias
Why it matters for exams: Tests the BNSS rule that criminal trials are held in open court, with in-camera hearing as a limited exception.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
In-camera trial Trial held in private — Public and press are kept out of the courtroom.
BNSS Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — The code of criminal procedure that replaced the CrPC.
7 October 2026
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M heard the petitions in AIIMS Kasargod Janakeeya Koottayma v Union of India (WP(C) 18550/2024) on 7 October 2026.
The Centre said the proposal was at the consultation stage and no in-principle approval had been given, as states with weaker healthcare were being prioritised.
The Court asked whether better facilities become a handicap for the State and said there are enough reasons for Kerala to have an AIIMS.
It noted the proposal had been pending for almost ten years and that government hospitals will not be sufficient for the poor and needy.
The Centre was directed to review the matter, and the case is posted after six weeks.
Case:
WP(C) 18550/2024
Pending for:
almost ten years
Next hearing:
after six weeks
Why it matters for exams: Links PMSSY, the AIIMS expansion criteria and Centre-State health federalism, a recurring Kerala and UPSC theme.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PMSSY Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana — The central scheme under which new AIIMS institutions are sanctioned.
AIIMS All India Institute of Medical Sciences — Central institutes of medical education and tertiary care.
7 October 2026
Justice G. Girish of the Kerala High Court dismissed the husband's revision petition in A v D, RPFC No. 122/2024.
The couple married on 1 August 2015, his second marriage, after a matrimonial advertisement, and the marriage was not consummated.
The Family Court granted the wife's divorce petition on the ground of cruelty and found the husband had means to pay maintenance.
He produced a Medical Board certificate of permanent locomotor disability of 70% and argued he could not pay.
The High Court upheld maintenance of ₹10,000 per month and said his physical incapacity does not assume any relevance.
Monthly maintenance:
₹10,000
Disability certified:
70%
Case:
RPFC No. 122/2024
Why it matters for exams: Shows that the duty to maintain a wife turns on means, not on bodily ability, a point linked to maintenance law.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
RPFC Revision Petition (Family Court) — A revision petition against a Family Court order.
7 October 2026
Transport Minister CP John flagged off KSRTC's cargo service at the Domestic Airport Cargo Terminal in Thiruvananthapuram on 7 October 2026.
The first consignment was one tonne of mobile phones flown from Delhi by Air India and carried to Aluva in a wet-leased truck.
The first phase has five wet-leased trucks, and the Minister said KSRTC aims to build a fleet of more than 100 trucks.
The project is part of the government's 100-day action plan, to strengthen KSRTC's logistics network and raise non-ticket revenue.
Income from the service will be used directly for the benefit of KSRTC passengers.
First consignment:
one tonne of mobile phones
First-phase vehicles:
5 wet-leased trucks
Target fleet:
more than 100 trucks
Why it matters for exams: A 100-day action plan item on public-sector transport diversification, useful for Kerala economy and governance questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Wet lease Wet-leased vehicle — A vehicle hired together with its operator or crew.
KSRTC Kerala State Road Transport Corporation — The State-owned bus corporation.
7 October 2026
The Women and Child Development Department launched the project 'Women on the Move and Menstrual Needs' under the government's 100-day action plan.
Minister Bindu Krishna unveiled the facility at the Thampanoor KSRTC bus terminal in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators will be installed at 14 KSRTC centres in the first phase.
Each packet holds 3 napkins and costs ₹10, and ₹16 lakh has been allocated for the initial phase.
The partner is HLL Lifecare, and expansion is planned to tourist centres and other public spaces.
First-phase centres:
14 KSRTC centres
Price:
₹10 for 3 napkins
Allocation:
₹16 lakh
Why it matters for exams: A women and child welfare scheme under the 100-day action plan, combining menstrual hygiene with public-sector transport hubs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
HLL HLL Lifecare — A public-sector healthcare products company that is the project partner.
Incinerator Incinerator — A unit that burns used napkins safely.
Background
Alappuzha is the smallest district of Kerala and is a sandy strip of land intercepted by lagoons, rivers and canals.
It is the only district in Kerala where there is no high land and no forest area.
The district has a contiguous coastline of 82 Km, and 80% of it lies in the coastal region with the rest in the midland.
Water bodies make up 13% of the district, and the Kuttanad area lies below sea level.
The average rainfall in the district is 2763 mm, recorded through 8 rain gauge stations.
Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, lies here, and the present town owes its existence to Diwan Rajakesavadas in the second half of the 18th century.
The district administration records that the sobriquet “the Venice of the East” for the place came from a visit by Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of the Indian Empire.
Coastline:
82 Km
Average rainfall:
2763 mm
Share of water bodies:
13% of the district
Why it matters for exams: The smallest district, the only district without highland or forest, and the Kuttanad land below sea level are repeatedly asked facts about Kerala's physiography.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Kuttanad The low-lying paddy region around the Vembanad lake — Called the rice bowl of Kerala, it lies below sea level.
Lagoon A shallow water body separated from the sea by a sandy barrier — Alappuzha's land is a sandy strip cut through by lagoons, rivers and canals.
Background
Eravikulam National Park was established in 1978 and spans approximately 97 square kilometers in Kerala's Idukki and Ernakulam districts.
It is situated in the Kannan Devan Hills of the Western Ghats.
The terrain is made up of high-altitude grasslands and shola forests, with elevations around 2,000 meters.
The park encompasses Anamudi Peak, the highest point in South India at 2,695 meters.
It houses the largest wild population of the endangered Nilgiri tahr.
The mass flowering of Neelakurinji blankets its hillsides in blue once every 12 years.
The park is managed by the Kerala Department of Forests and Wildlife.
Established in:
1978
Area:
Approximately 97 square kilometers
Height of Anamudi:
2,695 meters
Why it matters for exams: Anamudi's height and the Nilgiri tahr habitat are asked in both Kerala PSC and UPSC geography and environment papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Shola Stunted montane evergreen forest found in sheltered valleys amid high-altitude grassland — Shola forest and grassland together form the Eravikulam landscape.
Nilgiri tahr Nilgiritragus hylocrius, a wild goat endemic to the Western Ghats — Eravikulam holds the largest wild population of the species.
Background
The Vaikom Satyagraha was a non-violent agitation that lasted 603 days.
It was held for the right of backward communities to travel through the public road near the Vaikom Mahadeva Temple in Kottayam district.
The satyagraha started on the 30th of March 1924 and ended on the 23rd of November 1925.
It was supported by Sree Narayana Guru, Mannathu Padmanabhan, E. V. Ramasamy Naicker, T. K. Madhavan, K. Kelappan and K. P. Kesava Menon.
After the intervention of Mahatma Gandhi a compromise was reached with Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of the princely State of Travancore.
The Regent released all those arrested during the agitation and opened the north, south and west public roads leading to the temple to all castes, but refused to open the eastern road.
Access to the eastern road and entry into the temple were allowed to the backward castes in 1936, after the Temple Entry Proclamation.
Duration:
603 days
Place:
Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, Kottayam district
Road left closed in the settlement:
The eastern road
Why it matters for exams: The duration of the satyagraha, the leaders who supported it, the Regent who settled it and the road that stayed closed are all standard questions on Kerala's reform movements.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Satyagraha Non-violent insistence on truth as a method of political struggle — The Vaikom agitation was one of the earliest satyagrahas against untouchability in Kerala.
Regent A ruler who governs on behalf of a sovereign who is a minor or otherwise unable to rule — Sethu Lakshmi Bayi ruled Travancore as Regent when the settlement was reached.
Background
The ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology was set up in 1957 and started functioning at Cochin in the same year.
It is the only national centre in the country where research in all disciplines relating to fishing and fish processing is undertaken.
Research centres of the institute function at Veraval in Gujarat, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mumbai in Maharashtra.
Its mandate covers basic and strategic research in fishing and processing, the design of energy efficient fishing systems for responsible fishing, and the development of implements and machinery for fishing and fish processing.
Human resource development through training, education and extension is also part of the mandate.
The institute is headed by a Director in whom all administrative and financial powers are vested.
Its research divisions include Fishing Technology, Fish Processing, Biochemistry and Nutrition, Quality Assurance and Management, Microbiology, Fermentation and Biotechnology, Engineering, and Extension, Information and Statistics.
Set up in:
1957
Headquarters:
Cochin
Research centres:
Veraval, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC and UPSC both ask which national research institutes are located in the State and which council they work under.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research — The national council under which CIFT functions.
CIFT Central Institute of Fisheries Technology — Set up at Cochin for research on fishing and fish processing.