21 October 2026
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana stayed the investigation into the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau FIRs in the CMRL-Exalogic matter for one week. The bench said the FIRs would be maintained but no investigation would proceed until the appellate court decided the issues. The petitioners were former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and P A Mohamed Riyas, and they were allowed to pursue an appeal in the Kerala High Court. A single judge, Justice A Badharudeen, had on 9 October directed registration of an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act. A Division Bench of Justices K Natarajan and Johnson John had on 15 October dismissed three petitions seeking leave to appeal. The Special Investigation Unit-1 of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered two FIRs after the 9 October order.
Stay on investigation:
one week
FIRs registered:
2
Single judge order:
9 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: A current example of how an FIR can stand while the investigation on it is stayed, and of the route from a single judge to a Division Bench to the Supreme Court.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
FIR First Information Report — The first written record the police make of a cognisable offence.
VACB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau — Kerala's agency for investigating corruption by public servants.
18 October 2026
Kerala Police carried out a statewide drive named Operation Spa against spas working without proper authorisation. Of the 821 registered spas in the state, 586 were inspected, 14 cases were registered and five people were arrested. Notices were served on 44 establishments, mainly for inadequate documentation. Kozhikode City accounted for four cases and four arrests, with 70 of its 87 spas inspected, while 71 of 78 spas in Malappuram, 56 of 58 in Thrissur City and 55 of 71 in Palakkad were also checked. The drive was ordered by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) P Vijayan. Eight people brought to spas through human trafficking were identified, and a nine-member special investigation team drawn from the Crime Branch and the Narcotics Cell is examining the cases.
Spas inspected:
586 of 821
Cases registered:
14
Notices served:
44 establishments
Arrests:
5
Why it matters for exams: A named state police operation with precise figures, and an instance of a licensing gap under the Shops and Establishments Act prompting new legislation.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
ADGP Additional Director General of Police — A senior rank in the state police hierarchy, above Inspector General.
SIT Special Investigation Team — A team formed for one case or group of cases outside the normal station structure.
18 October 2026
Kerala Police registered cases against 6,199 people for drunk driving in a drive that ran from 7 am on 13 October to 7 am on 17 October 2026. The State Police Media Centre announced the figures. Ernakulam Rural recorded the most cases at 710, followed by Thiruvananthapuram Rural with 497 and Kottayam district with 456, while Kasaragod recorded the fewest at 75. The drive was ordered by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) P Vijayan, with zonal Inspectors General, range Deputy Inspectors General and district police chiefs supervising the units. The drive followed a crash at Nedumbassery on 11 October 2026 in which three people aged 21 died. P Vijayan said vehicle inspections would continue in the coming days.
Cases registered:
6,199
Highest district:
Ernakulam Rural, 710
Lowest district:
Kasaragod, 75
Drive period:
7 am on 13 October to 7 am on 17 October
Why it matters for exams: District-wise enforcement figures of this kind are the sort of precise data Kerala PSC general-awareness papers draw on.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
DIG Deputy Inspector General of Police — The officer in charge of a police range, below an Inspector General.
19 October 2026
The Kerala government is considering a special law on fatal crashes involving drivers under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. Transport Minister C P John called for legislation carrying jail terms and vehicle impounding instead of small fines, and said such deaths should be treated as murder rather than culpable homicide. A Law Department official said a vehicular homicide provision could presume that a person who voluntarily consumes alcohol or narcotics and then drives knows the risk of a fatal accident. Section 210A of the Motor Vehicles Act already lets a state government apply a multiplier of up to ten times the prescribed fines. Because motor vehicles fall under Entry 35 of the Concurrent List, a state law that conflicts with central law may need the President's assent under Article 254(2). Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said at Thrissur on 19 October 2026 that there would be no compromise on drunk driving. Under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the offence applies when blood alcohol exceeds 30 mg per 100 ml, with a fine up to Rs 10,000 or imprisonment up to six months for a first offence.
Fine multiplier available to states:
up to ten times, Section 210A
Concurrent List entry:
Entry 35
Blood alcohol threshold:
30 mg per 100 ml
Why it matters for exams: It joins a live Kerala policy debate to three exam staples: Section 210A of the Motor Vehicles Act, Entry 35 of the Concurrent List and Article 254(2).
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Concurrent List List III of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution — The subjects on which both Parliament and state legislatures may make law.
Article 254(2) Article 254, clause 2, of the Constitution of India — It lets a state law on a Concurrent List subject prevail in that state if the President assents to it.
21 October 2026
The India Meteorological Department has forecast rain and thundershowers across Kerala until 27 October 2026. A low-pressure area over the southwest Arabian Sea weakened and a new low formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Tamil Nadu coast. On 21 October an orange alert, meaning 12 cm to 20 cm of rain in 24 hours, covered Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam, while a yellow alert of 7 cm to 11 cm covered Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram. For 22 October the orange alert shifts to Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode. Squally weather with winds of 35 to 45 kmph gusting to 55 kmph is expected along and off the Kerala, Lakshadweep and Karnataka coasts until 25 October, and fishermen have been advised not to go to sea. Kozhikode recorded the highest maximum temperature at 34.6 degrees Celsius and Punalur the lowest minimum at 22.6 degrees Celsius.
Orange alert rainfall:
12 cm to 20 cm in 24 hours
Yellow alert rainfall:
7 cm to 11 cm in 24 hours
Wind speed:
35 to 45 kmph, gusting to 55 kmph
Highest maximum temperature:
34.6 degrees Celsius at Kozhikode
Why it matters for exams: The rainfall bands behind each warning colour, and the shift of a low-pressure area from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, are both standard exam material.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
IMD India Meteorological Department — The Union government agency that issues India's weather forecasts and warnings.
Low-pressure area Low-pressure area — A region where atmospheric pressure is lower than the surroundings, drawing in moist air and causing rain.
20 October 2026
A massive boulder fell onto National Highway 85 at Second Mile during excavation work on the night of Tuesday 20 October 2026, and the Adimali-Munnar stretch was closed completely. Idukki Collector Dr Dinesan Cheruvatt said the closure would continue until all safety risks were addressed, and removing the boulder and securing the area was estimated to take three days. The District Disaster Management Authority had already diverted Munnar-bound traffic through Anachal on 19 October after a loose boulder was found near the 2nd Mile in Pallivasal panchayat. At the Kallar dam, four shutters were to be raised by 20 cm each from 8 pm on 20 October to release up to 80 cumecs, with the water level at 821 metres against a maximum of 824.48 metres. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority issued an orange alert for Thiruvananthapuram, where heavy rain flooded houses in the Vithura-Ponmudi belt and the tribal settlement of Podiyakala ooru was cut off as the Vamanapuram river swelled.
Highway closed:
National Highway 85, Adimali-Munnar stretch
Kallar dam water level:
821 metres against 824.48 metres
Shutters raised:
four, by 20 cm each
Release:
up to 80 cumecs
Why it matters for exams: It fixes National Highway 85, the Kallar dam's levels and the Vamanapuram river to a disaster event an aspirant can be asked to place.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Cumec Cubic metre per second — The unit for the volume of water flowing past a point each second.
DDMA District Disaster Management Authority — The district-level body headed by the Collector that issues local disaster orders.
21 October 2026
Kerala has moved patients with spinal muscular atrophy from Evrysdi, the risdiplam made by Roche, to Natsmart, a generic risdiplam made by Natco Pharma. Evrysdi's open-market price is Rs 6,20,835 a bottle, while Natsmart costs Rs 15,900 a bottle, about 40 times cheaper. The government decided in July 2026 to procure the generic, and the Technical Committee on SMA noted that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation had approved it and that generics do not need separate safety and efficacy studies. Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the medicines are low cost and Indian made, were supplied after an expert committee found them to be of good quality, and that no complaints about them have been received. About 118 children receive free risdiplam. Public health expert B Ekbal estimated the monthly cost of the generic at about Rs 40,000. Parents and the Cure SMA Foundation of India have asked for Evrysdi to continue until bioequivalence evidence on the generic is available, and former Health Minister K K Shailaja said lower prices do not guarantee quality.
Evrysdi price:
Rs 6,20,835 per bottle
Natsmart price:
Rs 15,900 per bottle
Children receiving the drug free:
about 118
Why it matters for exams: A concrete case of generic substitution in a state health programme, with the CDSCO's role and the exact prices that an aspirant can be asked to compare.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CDSCO Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation — India's national drug regulator, which approves new medicines for the market.
Bioequivalence Bioequivalence — A test showing that a generic medicine behaves in the body the same way as the original.
SMA Spinal Muscular Atrophy — A rare genetic disorder that progressively weakens the muscles used for movement and breathing.
16 October 2026
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M of the Kerala High Court held that the parents of an adult woman cannot stop her from a consensual relationship or wrongfully take away her mobile phone. The order was passed in X v. The District Police Chief and Ors., W P (Crl) No. 1383 of 2026, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 585. The habeas corpus petition was filed by the woman's partner, who said her parents were preventing her from communicating with him and had restrained her from joining a company. The court said she appeared to be under tremendous mental pressure, directed that her phone must not be taken away under any circumstances and that all channels of communication remain open to her, and said her parents must not obstruct her interaction with the petitioner or her career choices. Citing the Supreme Court's decision in Devu G Nair v. State of Kerala, the court said the couple is entitled to police protection if they face violence or abuse, and directed the parties to appear before the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, who will assign a counsellor.
Case number:
W P (Crl) No. 1383 of 2026
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 585
Order date:
13 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: A fresh Kerala High Court application of the Supreme Court's Devu G Nair directions on the autonomy of adults and police protection.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Habeas corpus Habeas corpus — A writ by which a court requires that a person said to be unlawfully held be produced before it.
DLSA District Legal Services Authority — The district body that provides free legal aid and arranges mediation and counselling.
18 October 2026
The Institute of Advanced Virology at Thiruvananthapuram, a state autonomous institution, has developed a Dengue Early Warning System, or DEWS, to predict district-level dengue outbreak risk in Kerala. The team was led by Dr Abhinand C S of the institute's Virus Genomics, Bioinformatics and Statistics Division. The model combines Kerala Health Department surveillance data with India Meteorological Department data on rainfall, temperature and humidity, using daily records from March 2020 to February 2026, and produces weekly district-level forecasts across four risk levels, low, moderate, high and very high, with an interactive risk map. The forecast window shown runs from 1 November 2026 to 16 January 2027. Kerala has recorded 12,355 confirmed dengue cases and 44 deaths so far in 2026, including 751 cases and one death in the first 16 days of October. A separate study using 14 years of data from 2006 to 2019 projects that dengue incidence could rise 16 to 20 per cent during 2021 to 2040 and by up to 113 per cent towards the end of the century, with about 60 per cent of cases falling between late May and September.
Dengue cases in 2026:
12,355 confirmed
Dengue deaths in 2026:
44
Risk levels in DEWS:
four: low, moderate, high, very high
Projected rise by century end:
up to 113 per cent
Why it matters for exams: A state research institution putting machine learning to public health use, with the exact case load and the climate variables the model reads.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IAV Institute of Advanced Virology — A state autonomous virology research institution at Thiruvananthapuram.
Machine learning Machine learning — A branch of computing in which a model learns patterns from data instead of being given fixed rules.
Background
The body at the top of Kerala's disaster machinery, which issues the State's rainfall and wind warnings, is the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).
State Disaster Management Authorities are statutory bodies constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Central Act 53 of 2005).
KSDMA is described on its own site as a statutory non-autonomous body under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Kerala.
Under Section 3 of the Kerala State Disaster Management Rules (KSDMR), the authority is composed of ten members, chaired by the Chief Minister and convened by the Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management.
The Chief Secretary, who is also Chairperson of the State Executive Committee, is the Chief Executive Officer of KSDMA under Section 14 (4) of the DM Act.
The Head of the Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre (KSEOC) is the Member Secretary of the Authority, and KSEOC manages technical matters and emergency operations.
The first KSDMA was constituted vide S.R.O No. 395/2007 and the present composition is notified vide S.R.O No. 583/2013. Its motto is 'Towards a Safer State' and its office is at Observatory Hills, Vikas Bhavan P.O, Thiruvananthapuram.
Chairperson:
Chief Minister of Kerala
Members:
ten (10)
Chief Executive Officer:
Chief Secretary
Office:
Observatory Hills, Vikas Bhavan P.O, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: The chair, the chief executive and the statutory basis of the State disaster authority are standard Kerala PSC and UPSC polity questions, and they are asked again every time an alert is in the news.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KSEOC Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre — The round-the-clock control room that runs Kerala's emergency operations.
S.R.O Statutory Rules and Orders — The numbering used for subordinate legislation notified in the official gazette.
Background
Kerala's major port is run by the Cochin Port Authority, whose own overview sets out where the port stands and what weather it faces.
The Port is situated on the Willingdon Island, which is an artificial Island tucked inside the Backwaters.
The backwaters offer calm and placid channels for ships throughout the year, even during the Monsoon season, and the port records that Cochin lies beyond the cyclone zone, so the risk of cyclones is negligible.
The maximum wind speed observed at the port was of the order of 112 KMPH from the WSW direction.
Cochin is 11 Nautical Miles from the Gulf to Singapore and Far East route and 74 Nautical Miles from the Suez to Singapore and Far East route; amongst all major Indian ports, Cochin is the closest to the International East West Shipping routes.
Annual rainfall in the region varies between 2500 to 3500 mm, and Cochin experiences semidiurnal tides.
The port is connected to its hinterland by National Highways NH 47, NH49 and NH17, and National Waterway NW3 provides connectivity to South Kerala.
Location:
Willingdon Island, an artificial island in the backwaters
Maximum wind speed observed:
112 KMPH from WSW
Annual rainfall:
2500 to 3500 mm
Distance from Gulf-Singapore route:
11 Nautical Miles
Why it matters for exams: Port geography, the island the port stands on and its climate data are repeat questions in Kerala PSC geography and in UPSC questions on India's major ports.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Semidiurnal tides — Tides with two high waters and two low waters in roughly each day.
NW3 National Waterway 3 — The inland waterway that links the port to South Kerala.
Background
Pilgrims cross the Pampa River on the way to the Sabarimala hill shrine in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district; that river is one of 44 in Kerala.
The Kerala Legislature's profile of the State records that Kerala has 44 rivers, 41 west flowing and three east flowing.
The longest river is the Bharathapuzha, 251 kms long.
The Periyar river is 228.5 Kms long and the Pamba river 177 Kms long.
There are 34 big and not so big backwaters in the state, and the biggest backwater is the Vembanad lake, some 200 Sq.km in area.
The deltas of the rivers interlink the backwater and provide water transport facility in the low lands of Kerala.
Rivers in Kerala:
44 (41 west flowing, three east flowing)
Longest river:
Bharathapuzha, 251 kms
Periyar:
228.5 Kms
Pamba:
177 Kms
Backwaters:
34; biggest is Vembanad, some 200 Sq.km
Why it matters for exams: The count of Kerala's rivers, the number flowing east and the lengths of the three longest are among the most frequently set facts in Kerala PSC geography.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC