23 October 2026
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas decided X v. State of Kerala and Others, WP(C) No. 31584 of 2026, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 589.
The Court held that police contacting an adult woman reported missing, in order to complete an investigation, does not amount to harassment.
It held that the police cannot force her to go back home if she does not want to.
The Court said that as an adult she can make her own decisions, and that neither her parents nor the police can interfere with that freedom.
The crime registered in the matter was under Section 57 of the Kerala Police Act, 2011, and the Court directed that it be brought to a conclusion.
The petitioner was directed to appear before the concerned Station House Officer so that her presence could be recorded and her wishes noted.
Provision:
Section 57, Kerala Police Act, 2011
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 589
Why it matters for exams: Section 57 of the Kerala Police Act and the autonomy of an adult are directly examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
23 October 2026
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. decided District Court Bar Association and Another v. State of Kerala and Others, WP(PIL) 75/2026, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 583.
The Court directed the State to appoint Special Public Prosecutors exclusively for cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act within six weeks.
It held that a government order allowing POCSO Special Public Prosecutors to conduct non-POCSO cases under the Juvenile Justice Act could not be sustained.
The State must consider setting up the remaining 13 permanent, exclusive POCSO Special Courts, one in each district other than Ernakulam, in line with the Supreme Court directions.
It must inform the High Court Administration of its decision within four weeks of receiving the judgment.
The Registrar (District Judiciary) must ensure all POCSO courts meet the requirements of the Act, and the State must provide the financial and other assistance needed for infrastructure changes.
Time limit for prosecutors:
Six weeks
Remaining POCSO Special Courts:
13
Case number:
WP(PIL) 75/2026
Why it matters for exams: The POCSO Act's Special Courts and Special Public Prosecutors are frequently asked in both law and child-rights questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
POCSO Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 — The central law on sexual offences against children, tried by designated Special Courts.
23 October 2026
The Kerala government has doubled the compensation rates for crop loss caused by wild animal attacks, revising them for the first time since 2015.
A new order of the Forest department removes the maximum ceiling on payouts and the limit on the number of claims a farmer can submit.
The Chief Wildlife Warden had recommended raising the compensation and extending it to agricultural produce such as coconuts and cocoa, after a review found the existing rates inadequate.
Farmers will now get ₹15 per coconut and ₹30 per kg of cocoa lost or damaged in wildlife attacks, subject to inspection.
Farmers must report the damage within 72 hours to two weeks and apply within six months; existing eligibility criteria and verification procedures are unchanged.
Per coconut:
₹15
Per kg of cocoa:
₹30
Application window:
six months
Why it matters for exams: Human-wildlife conflict and the State's compensation norms are a recurring Kerala PSC and UPSC environment topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Chief Wildlife Warden Chief Wildlife Warden — The statutory head of wildlife administration in a State under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
22 October 2026
The Kerala government has exempted the T1 and T2 sections of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) from the Right to Information Act, 2005, through a Kerala Gazette notification published on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
It invoked Section 24(4) of the RTI Act, which lets a State exempt specified intelligence and security organisations.
The two sections were added to the list of organisations exempted under a government order of February 7, 2006, which had covered eight organisations.
The T1 section keeps annual confidential reports and top-secret files; the T2 section processes the weekly diaries of vigilance officers and source reports.
The T section had been brought back under the RTI Act in 2022; the exemption remains subject to the provisos on corruption and human rights violations.
Provision invoked:
Section 24(4), RTI Act, 2005
Base order:
February 7, 2006
Brought under RTI earlier:
2022
Why it matters for exams: Section 24 of the RTI Act and its provisos are standard polity questions in Kerala PSC and UPSC.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
VACB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau — Kerala's anti-corruption investigation agency.
Section 24(4) Section 24(4) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 — Lets a State government exempt its intelligence and security organisations by notification.
23 October 2026
The Kerala government on Friday sanctioned a Vigilance investigation against former Kannur district panchayat president P P Divya, her husband V P Ajith and former district panchayat secretary Abdul Latheef.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala granted the sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The complaint concerns contracts worth more than ₹12 crore awarded through Steel Industrials Kerala Ltd (SILK) to Carton India Alliance Pvt Ltd for prefabricated modular toilets in district schools and an animal birth control centre at Padiyoor panchayat.
The complaint was filed on June 28 by KSU state vice-president P Muhammed Shammas; the previous government had declined permission for a preliminary inquiry against Divya in an order dated January 21, 2026.
The probe will allow the Vigilance Bureau to examine the company's ownership, the rival bidders and related land transactions.
Provision:
Section 17A, Prevention of Corruption Act
Contract value:
₹12 crore
Why it matters for exams: Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which requires prior approval to probe public servants, is a frequent polity question.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Section 17A Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 — Requires prior approval of the competent authority before an inquiry into a public servant's official decisions.
20 October 2026
Justice A. Badharudeen of the Kerala High Court held that mere possession of a spurious ISI mark is not punishable under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 unless its actual use is proved.
The court read Sections 11 and 12 with Section 33 of the Act and said the legislature used the word 'used', not 'possess'.
Section 11 prohibits improper use of the Standard Mark, and Section 13 lays down the penalty.
The Bureau of Indian Standards had appealed against a Magistrate's acquittal of M/s Mars Veneers and Boards and its partners.
BIS officials had found a roller bearing a spurious ISI mark at the factory; the High Court dismissed the appeal.
Judge:
Justice A. Badharudeen
Law:
Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986
Sections read:
11 and 12 with 33
Why it matters for exams: The ISI mark, the BIS and the BIS Act are standard general-knowledge and consumer-law questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
BIS Bureau of Indian Standards — India's national standards body, which grants the ISI mark.
22 October 2026
Swami Sathchidananda, the incumbent president of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust at Sivagiri, was defeated in the election to the trust's 11-member board.
The official panel he led still won a majority on the board.
Six members of the outgoing board were re-elected, including general secretary Swami Shubhangananda and Swami Sharadananda; five sannyasis are new to the board.
The new board will choose the next president, general secretary, treasurer and other office-bearers.
Board size:
11
Members re-elected:
6
New members:
5
Why it matters for exams: Sivagiri and the institutions founded in Sree Narayana Guru's name are core topics of Kerala's renaissance history in PSC papers.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Sivagiri Madhom Sivagiri Mutt — The monastery at Varkala founded by Sree Narayana Guru.
23 October 2026
Chief Electoral Officer D Sajith Babu set out on Friday the schedule of the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of the electoral roll for 2027, which began on October 15.
The integrated draft roll will be published on November 12; claims and objections can be filed from November 12 to December 11.
Claims will be disposed of by December 28, and the final roll will be published on January 4, 2027.
The Election Commission's deadline for reorganising polling stations is November 2; on the parties' request for more time, the CEO said it would be brought to the Commission's notice.
Kerala has 2,73,46,351 registered voters, including 1,40,30,711 women, as per the Election Commission's latest figures; Form 6 is used for inclusion and Form 7 for deletion.
Draft roll:
November 12, 2026
Final roll:
January 4, 2027
Registered voters (latest ECI figures):
2,73,46,351
Why it matters for exams: Electoral roll revision, the Chief Electoral Officer and Forms 6 and 7 are frequent polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SSR Special Summary Revision — The annual revision of the electoral roll to add, delete and correct entries.
Form 6 Form 6 — The application form for inclusion of a name in the electoral roll.
Background
The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is a premier academic institution dedicated to the study and research of Space science and technology in India. It is located in Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and was established in 2007 to promote higher education and research in space sciences, technology, and engineering. Valiamala also holds one of the two campuses of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), which handles the realisation of liquid propulsion stages for ISRO's Launch Vehicles. The centre's activities and facilities are spread across its campuses at Valiamala and at Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Valiamala campus is responsible for research and development, system design, engineering and project management functions. The Bengaluru campus is responsible for the design and realisation of propulsion systems for remote sensing and communication satellites and other scientific missions, and for the development and production of transducers and sensors.
Established:
2007
Location:
Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
LPSC campuses:
Valiamala and Bengaluru
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's share of India's space establishment is a standing Kerala PSC and UPSC theme, and Valiamala is the one address that carries both the space university and the liquid propulsion centre.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IIST Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology — India's academic institution for space science and technology, at Valiamala in Kerala.
LPSC Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre — The ISRO centre that realises the liquid propulsion stages of India's launch vehicles.
Transducer Transducer — A device that converts a physical quantity such as pressure into an electrical signal.