14 October 2026
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. decided the matter on 14 October 2026.
The Bench quashed a State government order that had allowed Special Public Prosecutors appointed for POCSO cases to also conduct cases under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The State has been directed to appoint Special Public Prosecutors exclusively for POCSO cases within six weeks.
The State must also decide, within four weeks of receiving the judgment, on setting up the remaining 13 permanent exclusive POCSO Special Courts, one in each district other than Ernakulam.
The case was a public interest litigation by the District Court Bar Association, Thodupuzha-Muttom, numbered WP(PIL) 75/2026 and reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 583.
The Court held that the government order conflicted with the Supreme Court's 2020 directions in In Re Alarming Rise in the Number of Reported Child Rape Incidents.
Case number:
WP(PIL) 75/2026
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 583
Deadline for exclusive prosecutors:
six weeks
Additional POCSO courts to be considered:
13
Why it matters for exams: An examiner can ask this as a POCSO-and-Juvenile-Justice question, a Children's Court question, or as an example of a High Court directing the executive on prosecution machinery.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
POCSO Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 — The central law that defines sexual offences against children and provides for Special Courts to try them.
SPP Special Public Prosecutor — A prosecutor appointed by the State for a specified category of cases or for a particular case.
16 October 2026
The Information and Public Relations Department issued the correction on 16 October 2026.
It relates to the expert committee constituted to restructure the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board under Finance Department Order No. 80/2026/Fin dated 13 July 2026.
Member Nilesh Vikamsey is described as a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and a partner at KKC and Associates.
Member Subhalakshmi Narayanan, IA&AS (Retd.), is described as a former member of the Audit Board and Principal Director of Audit in the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
KIIFB is the State's off-budget borrowing and infrastructure financing body, and its future is under examination by the committee.
Order constituting the committee:
No. 80/2026/Fin dated 13 July 2026
Member:
Nilesh Vikamsey, former ICAI President
Member:
Subhalakshmi Narayanan, IA&AS (Retd.)
Why it matters for exams: KIIFB, off-budget borrowing and the constitutional office of the Comptroller and Auditor General are standard Kerala PSC and UPSC economy-governance ground.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KIIFB Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board — A State body that raises money outside the budget to fund infrastructure projects in Kerala.
IA&AS Indian Audit and Accounts Service — The central service that staffs the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
16 October 2026
The Information and Public Relations Department announced the 2026-27 Margadeepam scholarship on 16 October 2026.
The scholarship is a one-time grant of ₹1,500 a year.
It is open to minority students of Classes 1 to 8 in government and government-aided schools, from the Muslim, Christian (all denominations), Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi communities.
Applicants must be permanent residents of Kerala studying in the State, and family annual income must not exceed ₹2,50,000.
The applicant must hold a bank account in their own name in a scheduled or commercial bank.
Forms are downloaded from www.margadeepam.kerala.gov.in and submitted through the head of the institution; the last date is 31 October, 11 pm.
Amount:
₹1,500 a year, one-time grant
Classes covered:
Classes 1 to 8
Income ceiling:
₹2,50,000 a year
Last date:
31 October, 11 pm
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks the name, amount, income ceiling and administering department of State scholarship schemes, and Margadeepam is the minority-education one.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Margadeepam Margadeepam scholarship — A Kerala scholarship for minority community pupils in the primary and upper primary classes.
16 October 2026
Navya Bakes and Confectioneries India Pvt. Ltd., based at Karukutty in Angamaly, Ernakulam district, contributed ₹40 lakh towards buying buses for the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation.
Managing Director Biju Joseph Chakkiyathil handed over the cheque.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan received it in the Chief Minister's chamber in the Legislative Assembly on 16 October 2026.
Transport Minister C.P. John, Higher Education Minister Roji M. John and KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director Dr. P.S. Pramoj Sankar were present.
The release carries the reference P.N.X. 4342/2026.
Amount:
₹40 lakh
Donor:
Navya Bakes and Confectioneries India Pvt. Ltd., Karukutty, Angamaly
KSRTC CMD:
Dr. P.S. Pramoj Sankar
Why it matters for exams: Current-affairs papers use such items to test who holds the Transport and Higher Education portfolios and who heads KSRTC.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KSRTC Kerala State Road Transport Corporation — Kerala's State-owned road transport undertaking, run by a Chairman and Managing Director.
17 October 2026
The Information and Public Relations Department announced the visit on 16 October 2026, under reference P.N.X. 4352/2026.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan visit Sabarimala on 17 October 2026 to review preparations for the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.
At 9 am they inspect pilgrimage preparations at the Nilakkal Guest House.
At 10.30 am a review and coordination meeting of the various departments is to be held at the Sree Rama Saketha Auditorium at Pamba.
At 4 pm they inspect preparations at Sannidhanam, and at 5 pm the Chief Minister has darshan at the temple.
Date of review visit:
17 October 2026
Coordination meeting venue:
Sree Rama Saketha Auditorium, Pamba
Season being prepared for:
Mandala-Makaravilakku
Why it matters for exams: Sabarimala's pilgrimage geography - Nilakkal, Pamba, Sannidhanam - and the Devaswom portfolio are recurring Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Sannidhanam Sannidhanam, Sabarimala — The hilltop temple precinct at Sabarimala, reached from the Pamba base camp.
Devaswom Devaswom Board — A statutory board that administers temples in Kerala; the Devaswom portfolio is held by a Minister.
16 October 2026
The district-level launch was held at the Kozhikode District Institute of Education and Training, and the Information and Public Relations Department reported it on 16 October 2026.
The General Education Department scheme works through a 'Teens Club' for pupils of Classes 8, 9 and 10, aimed at their physical, mental, emotional and social growth.
Each division has a nine-member class council and each school a Teens School Council; either the president or the secretary must be a girl, and office-bearers are chosen with gender equality and disability inclusion in mind.
Club activities get 30 minutes a week, led by a trained nodal teacher who serves a three-year term, with a school-level committee chaired by the headmaster.
Last year the scheme ran only in government high schools; this year it has been extended to aided schools. The district has 83 government, 100 aided and 33 unaided high schools.
Sixty schools in the Vadakara educational district sent nodal teachers for training, and training for the Kozhikode and Thamarassery educational districts is set for 23 October.
DIET Principal Dr. U.K. Abdunnasar inaugurated the programme and Vadakara District Educational Officer Geetha Ramdas presided.
Classes covered:
Classes 8, 9 and 10
Weekly club time:
30 minutes
Government high schools in Kozhikode:
83
Aided high schools in Kozhikode:
100
Nodal teacher term:
three years
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks the names of General Education Department schemes, what DIET does, and the structure of school-level councils.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
DIET District Institute of Education and Training — The district body that trains school teachers and supports elementary education.
16 October 2026
The Social Justice Department invited nominations for the State Disability Award 2026, and the Information and Public Relations Department published the notice on 16 October 2026.
Individuals, institutions and local self-government bodies that have shown proven skill in various fields related to disability can be nominated.
The last date for submitting nominations is 25 October.
Further details are available from the District Social Justice Offices or on 0471 2306040.
Award:
State Disability Award 2026
Department:
Social Justice Department
Last date:
25 October
Why it matters for exams: Which Kerala department runs disability welfare, and the fact that local self-government bodies are themselves eligible for the award, are both askable points.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Social Justice Department Social Justice Department, Government of Kerala — The Kerala department responsible for welfare of persons with disabilities, the elderly, women and children.
16 October 2026
The District Project Office of Samagra Shiksha Kerala in Alappuzha invited applications for vacant CRC Coordinator posts in the Block Resource Centres; the Information and Public Relations Department published the notice on 16 October 2026.
Applicants need a degree, a teaching qualification such as B.Ed., D.El.Ed. or TTC or its equivalent, and K-TET.
Teaching experience in government schools and experience in educational research are preferred but not mandatory.
The age limit is 45 years and the appointment is on a daily wage basis.
The last date to apply is 23 October, until 5 pm; details are at ssaalappuzha.blogspot.com or on 0477 2239655.
Post:
CRC Coordinator
District:
Alappuzha
Age limit:
45 years
Last date:
23 October, 5 pm
Why it matters for exams: The Samagra Shiksha structure of District Project Office, Block Resource Centre and Cluster Resource Centre, and the K-TET requirement, are frequently tested.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
CRC Cluster Resource Centre — The lowest academic support unit under Samagra Shiksha, below the Block Resource Centre.
K-TET Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test — The eligibility test a candidate must clear to be appointed as a school teacher in Kerala.
16 October 2026
The Information and Public Relations Department published the notice on 16 October 2026.
The Institute of Human Resources Development will hold regular and supplementary semester examinations in December.
The examinations cover the Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications and the Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Forensics and Security, both first and second semesters, the Diploma in Data Entry Techniques and Office Automation, first and second semesters, the Diploma in Computer Applications, and the Certificate Course in Library and Information Science.
The 2018 scheme is covered for the Certificate Course in Library and Information Science supplementary, along with the 2020 and 2024 schemes.
Students register at the centre where they study or studied; registration without fine closes on 7 November, and with a fine of ₹100 on 16 November.
The timetable will be published in the last week of November. Details are at www.ihrd.ac.in or on 0471 2322985 and 2322501.
Examination month:
December
Registration without fine:
till 7 November
Registration with fine:
₹100, till 16 November
Timetable:
last week of November
Why it matters for exams: IHRD's full name and the courses it runs come up in Kerala PSC questions on State educational institutions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
IHRD Institute of Human Resources Development — A Kerala government institution running applied science, computer and technical courses through its own centres.
16 October 2026
The Information and Public Relations Department published the notice on 16 October 2026 under reference PNX 4360/2026.
Applications are invited from eligible candidates for the State-level and local-level tourist guide entrance examinations.
The last date to apply is 9 November, 5.30 pm.
Details are available at kittsedu.org or on 0471 2329468 and +91 8129816664.
Examination:
State-level and local-level tourist guide entrance examination
Last date:
9 November, 5.30 pm
Release reference:
PNX 4360/2026
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's tourism training institute and the two tiers of licensed guides - State-level and local-level - are askable points in a tourism-heavy State economy.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KITTS Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies — The State tourism training institute whose website, kittsedu.org, carries the guide examination details.
Background
Kutiyattam is the Sanskrit theatre practised in Kerala and one of India's oldest living theatrical traditions. UNESCO places its origin more than 2,000 years ago and describes it as a synthesis of Sanskrit classicism with the local traditions of Kerala. Its codified language rests on netra abhinaya, the expression of the eyes, and hasta abhinaya, the language of gestures. Performers train for ten to fifteen years; a single act may take days and a complete performance may last up to 40 days. It is staged in temple theatres called Kuttampalams, with an oil lamp placed on stage to signify a divine presence. UNESCO proclaimed it in 2001 and inscribed it in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Longest full performance:
up to 40 days
Training period:
ten to fifteen years
Inscribed:
2008 (proclaimed 2001)
Why it matters for exams: Kutiyattam is India's first entry on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, and examiners ask for both the dates and the vocabulary of the form.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Kuttampalam temple theatre — The roofed theatre inside a Kerala temple where Kutiyattam is staged.
Netra abhinaya eye expression — Acting done with the movement and expression of the eyes.
Background
Every Kerala science question paper eventually reaches the space establishment on the State's own soil. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thiruvananthapuram is ISRO's lead centre for the design and development of launch vehicle technology. Its research covers aeronautics, avionics, materials, mechanisms, vehicle integration, chemicals, propulsion, stage separation systems, structures and space physics. VSSC has extension centres at Valiamala, which houses mechanisms and vehicle integration and testing facilities, and at Vattiyoorkavu for composites. The Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental Plant set up by VSSC is at Aluva near Kochi. Its major programmes include the PSLV, the GSLV, the Rohini Sounding Rockets, GSLV Mk III, reusable launch vehicles and air-breathing propulsion.
Location:
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Extension centres:
Valiamala and Vattiyoorkavu
Plant near Kochi:
Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental Plant, Aluva
Why it matters for exams: Which ISRO centre does what is standard Kerala PSC material, and VSSC is the one inside the State.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
APEP Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental Plant — A VSSC plant at Aluva near Kochi that makes an oxidiser used in solid rocket propellant.