21 October 2026
Justice S. Manu heard the matter in a special Saturday sitting on October 17, 2026.
The petitions are K.S. Hazma v. State of Keralam and C.K. Usman Haji v. Union of India, WP(C) Nos. 36037 and 36041 of 2026.
The challenge was to a Government order dated October 16, 2026 reconstituting the Board.
The Court said no case was made out to pass a stringent interim order staying the operation of the order.
It made the reconstitution subject to the outcome of the two writ petitions and issued notice to the new Chairperson and members.
The petitions were referred to the Division Bench hearing the connected public interest litigations.
Government order date:
October 16, 2026
Judge:
Justice S. Manu
Members appointed:
9 new members
Why it matters for exams: Covers interim relief standards, the Waqf Act's provisions on composition and supersession, and reference to a Division Bench.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Waqf Waqf — A permanent dedication of property for purposes recognised as religious, pious or charitable under Muslim law.
21 October 2026
Justice G. Girish decided Prasanth K. v. The District Collector and Anr., WP(C) No. 31093 of 2026, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 584.
The case concerned amendments to Rules 83 and 86 of the Explosives Rules, 2008.
Rule 83 requires a standalone single-storeyed building, and Rule 86 adds detection and alarm systems, sprinklers and backup power.
The Court held that these requirements cannot be insisted upon when considering applications for temporary fireworks shop licences, which are governed by Rule 84.
It relied on sub-rule 7 of Rule 86, which speaks of an existing fireworks shop, to read the requirements as meant for permanent shops.
The authorities were directed to consider and decide the petitioner's temporary licence application without applying the Rule 86 amendments.
Rules at issue:
Rules 83 and 86 of the Explosives Rules, 2008
Rule governing temporary licences:
Rule 84
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 584
Why it matters for exams: Shows how a court reads subordinate legislation by separating permanent and temporary licensing regimes under the same Rules.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Subordinate legislation Subordinate legislation — Rules and regulations made by the executive under powers given by an Act of the legislature.
21 October 2026
A Division Bench of Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice Muralee Krishna S. decided Ayishath Ruksana v. State of Kerala and Ors., WP(Crl). No. 1247 of 2026.
The matter is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 587 and was reported on 16 October 2026.
The detenue, a Kannada-speaking man from Karnataka, was detained under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007, on an order of the District Collector that the government confirmed.
The detention order and the documents relied on were in Malayalam, and translated copies were not supplied.
The Court held that this denied the detenue the fundamental right under Article 22(5) of the Constitution to make a representation against the detention order.
It set aside both the detention order and the confirmation order and directed the jail superintendent to release the detenue unless he was required in any other case.
Act:
Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007
Constitutional provision:
Article 22(5)
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 587
Case number:
WP(Crl). No. 1247 of 2026
Why it matters for exams: A direct application of Article 22(5) to preventive detention under a Kerala Act, with a clear procedural rule on translated documents.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KAAP Act Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007 — A Kerala law allowing preventive detention of persons classed as known offenders or goondas.
Habeas corpus Habeas corpus — A writ requiring a detained person to be produced before a court to test the legality of the detention.
21 October 2026
The joint military exercise AUSTRAHIND 2026 began at Thiruvananthapuram on October 20, 2026.
It is the fifth edition of the India-Australia joint military exercise.
The fourth edition was held at Irwin Barracks, Perth, in Australia last year.
A total of 240 defence personnel are taking part in the exercise.
An observer delegation from New Zealand is taking part for the first time.
The exercise will conclude on November 1.
It aims to strengthen military cooperation, interoperability and mutual trust and to reinforce the shared commitment of the two countries to peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Exercise:
AUSTRAHIND 2026
Edition:
Fifth
Personnel:
240
Venue and close:
Thiruvananthapuram, concludes November 1
Why it matters for exams: Names, editions and venues of India's bilateral military exercises are directly asked in defence questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Interoperability Military interoperability — The ability of forces of different countries to operate together using common procedures.
21 October 2026
The Sabarimala Ayyappa temple opened on the evening of October 17, 2026 for the Thulam monthly poojas.
Thousands of devotees gathered despite torrential rain.
The temple opened for darshan at 5 am on October 18, the first day of the Malayalam month of Thulam.
A draw of lots to select the new melsanthis for the Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples was held on the morning of October 18.
The temple closes at 10 pm on October 22, marking the end of the monthly poojas.
The monthly pooja period therefore runs for about five days.
Opened:
evening of October 17, 2026
Darshan from:
5 am on October 18
Closes:
10 pm on October 22
Why it matters for exams: The Sabarimala pooja calendar and the melsanthi selection by draw of lots are standard Kerala general awareness points.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Melsanthi Chief priest — The chief priest of a temple, chosen at Sabarimala by a draw of lots.
Background
The Kerala High Court has upheld the constitutional validity of Section 69 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925, in a suo motu civil reference and connected proceedings decided by a Division Bench of Justice Sathish Ninan and Justice P. Krishna Kumar.
Section 69 provides that a will is revoked by the marriage of the person who made it, except a will made in exercise of a power of appointment in the circumstances specified by the provision.
Section 69 is not included in Schedule III to the Succession Act and, by virtue of Section 57, does not apply to wills made by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs or Jainas; Section 57 contains a proviso affirming that marriage shall not revoke a Hindu will or codicil.
Section 70 of the Act, which sets out how an unprivileged will or codicil may be revoked, does apply to Hindu wills through Schedule III, but the words providing for revocation by marriage are expressly omitted there.
For Hindus, intestate succession is governed by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, while only those provisions of the Indian Succession Act mentioned in Schedule III apply to their wills.
The Court recorded that the provision was adapted from the English Wills Act, 1837, and that its object is to protect the new family created by the marriage.
The challenge was that the restriction of Section 69 to Christians, Parsis and Jews violated Part III of the Constitution, and specifically Articles 14 and 15, and that it conflicted with Section 20 of the Act; both questions were answered in the negative.
A connected original petition had also challenged the Sub Court's order making the reference under Section 113 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
Provision upheld:
Section 69 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925
What the provision does:
revocation by marriage
Communities to whom it does not apply:
Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs or Jainas
Provision excluding them:
Section 57
English statute it was adapted from:
English Wills Act, 1837
Why it matters for exams: Which personal laws the Indian Succession Act reaches, and the role of Schedule III and Section 57, are the exact points on which succession questions turn.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Codicil A document that adds to or alters a will — Section 57 affirms that marriage shall not revoke a Hindu will or codicil.
Suo motu reference A reference made by the court on its own motion — The validity of Section 69 came before the High Court through such a civil reference.
Intestate succession Succession where there is no will — For Hindus it is governed by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956.
Background
The Kerala Legislature has published the SARAL Keralam Bill, 2026 on 15-10-2026, a Bill on simplified and accelerated regulatory approvals and licensing, so the department that grants those approvals on the ground is worth knowing.
The Directorate of Industries & Commerce Department is located at Vikas Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram, and is headed by the Director of Industries & Commerce.
The district level machinery of the directorate is situated at District Industries Centres, each headed by a General Manager.
Below them are Taluk Industries Offices headed by Assistant District Industries Officers.
Industries Extension Officers are deployed in all Block Panchayaths, Municipalities and Corporations, which is the point at which a small enterprise meets the department.
There are two Common Facility Service Centres under the Directorate, at Changanassery for rubber and plastic and at Manjeri for rubber, along with a Documentation Centre at Vellayambalam.
The directorate's hierarchy runs from the Director as head of department through Additional Directors, Joint Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors and Deputy Registrars down to Assistant District Industries Officers and Assistant Registrars.
A Women Industries Officer within the directorate handles matters related to women industries, and separate officers hold charge of technical consultancy, financial coordination, planning and monitoring, and infrastructure development.
Seat of the Directorate:
Vikas Bhavan
District level office:
District Industries Centres
Who heads a District Industries Centre:
General Manager
Officer at Block Panchayath level:
Industries Extension Officers
Common Facility Service Centre for rubber and plastic:
Changanassery
Common Facility Service Centre for rubber:
Manjeri
Why it matters for exams: The chain from the Directorate to the District Industries Centre to the Industries Extension Officer is asked both as an institution question and as an application question about where an entrepreneur applies.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DIC District Industries Centre — The district level machinery of the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, headed by a General Manager.
IEO Industries Extension Officer — Deployed in all Block Panchayaths, Municipalities and Corporations.
CFSC Common Facility Service Centre — Two work under the Directorate, at Changanassery for rubber and plastic and at Manjeri for rubber.
Background
Kerala's districts are under rain warnings again, and the range that shapes that rain is the Western Ghats. UNESCO inscribed the Western Ghats on the World Heritage List in 2012 under criteria (ix) and (x), as a serial property of 39 component parts in 7 sub-clusters covering 795,315 ha. The mountains traverse the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, and cover around 140,000 square kilometres. UNESCO describes the range as older than the great Himalayan mountain chain and as one of the best examples of the tropical monsoon system on the planet, because the Ghats intercept the monsoon winds sweeping in from the south-west. Of nearly 650 tree species on the property, 352, or 54 per cent, are endemic. At least 325 globally threatened species on the IUCN Red List occur in the Western Ghats.
Inscribed:
2012
Criteria:
(ix) and (x)
Component parts:
39 in 7 sub-clusters
Area:
795,315 ha
Endemic tree species:
352 of nearly 650 (54%)
Globally threatened species:
At least 325
Why it matters for exams: The Western Ghats carry Kerala's monsoon, its landslide risk and its endemism, and the inscription year, criteria and component count are standard objective questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Serial property Serial World Heritage property — A single World Heritage listing made up of several separate component sites.
IUCN Red List International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species — The global inventory that grades how close a species is to extinction.