22 October 2026
The Idukki district administration on 22 October 2026 ordered an inquiry into unauthorised rock extraction at Kudayathoor, near Sangamam Junction.
Heavy machinery had been used to take out rock from farmland owned by Theruvakkatt Gopalakrishnan without the required clearances, in an ecologically sensitive area.
Revenue Department officials visited the site after a complaint to the District Disaster Management Authority and stopped the work.
The District Geologist and the Thodupuzha Tahsildar were asked to inquire, assess disaster risk and submit an action-taken report to the District Disaster Management Authority.
Criminal proceedings, including against the landowner, were ordered if unauthorised mining or land conversion is confirmed.
A landslide in the same area in October 2022 had killed five people.
Officers named for the inquiry:
District Geologist and Thodupuzha Tahsildar
Deaths in the 2022 landslide:
Five
Why it matters for exams: District Disaster Management Authorities and the officers who act for them appear often in Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSC
22 October 2026
The Kerala High Court, in a judgment dated 13 October 2026 that was reported on 22 October 2026, held that placing the penis on a child's vagina after removing her underwear involves at least slight penetration and amounts to penetrative sexual assault.
Justice A Badharudeen delivered the judgment in Shaji v State of Kerala, Criminal Appeal No. 1265 of 2023, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 595.
The Court applied Section 3 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which defines penetrative sexual assault, rather than Section 7, which covers sexual assault by touching.
Because the child was under twelve, the aggravated offence under Section 5 also applied.
The conviction was upheld, and the separate sentence imposed under Section 376AB of the Indian Penal Code was set aside.
Judge:
Justice A Badharudeen
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 595
Why it matters for exams: POCSO sections and the difference between Sections 3, 5 and 7 are standard law questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Thrissur is a revenue district of Kerala situated in the central part of the State, and the district administration describes it as the cultural capital of Kerala and the land of Poorams. It spans an area of about 3,032 square kilometres. It is bordered by the districts of Palakkad and Malappuram to the north and by the districts of Ernakulam and Idukki to the south, with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats stretching towards the east. According to the 2011 Census the district has a population of 3,110,327 and a population density of 1,026 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its sex ratio is 1109 females for every 1000 males. Administratively the district has 2 revenue divisions, 7 taluks, 1 municipal corporation, 7 municipalities, 16 blocks, 86 panchayats and 255 villages.
Area:
about 3,032 square kilometres
Population (2011 Census):
3,110,327
Taluks:
7
Villages:
255
Why it matters for exams: Thrissur is the district of the Thrissur Pooram, and its taluk, block and panchayat counts are standard Kerala PSC district questions as well as the frame for all local-body administration in the district.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Taluk Taluk — A revenue subdivision of a district, headed by a Tahsildar.
Revenue division Revenue division — A grouping of taluks under a Sub Collector or Revenue Divisional Officer.
Sex ratio Sex ratio — The number of females per 1000 males in a population.
Background
The Thrissur Pooram is an annual temple festival held at the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur. It falls on the Pooram day, the day when the moon rises with the Pooram star in the Malayalam calendar month of Medam, and the district administration calls it the largest and most famous of all poorams. Decorated elephants march through the city to the temple. Puli Kali, also known as Kaduvakali, is a body painting art form performed by trained artists on the occasion of Onam, and it is mainly practised in Thrissur district. The Kodungallur Bharani is the annual festival of the Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple at Kodungalloor, held in the Malayalam month of Meenam. Buon Natale, the Christmas procession organised by the Thrissur Archdiocese in association with the Thrissur Pouravali, entered the Guinness World Records in 2014 for having the maximum number of Santas. The Indian coffee house in Thrissur was established in 1958.
Pooram venue:
Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur
Malayalam month:
Medam
Puli Kali occasion:
Onam
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's festival calendar by Malayalam month, and the district each folk art belongs to, are recurring Kerala PSC questions, and Thrissur is the district behind the State's best known pooram.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Pooram Pooram — A temple festival of central Kerala in which caparisoned elephants are paraded.
Medam Medam — The ninth month of the Malayalam calendar, falling in the middle of April and May.
Kaduvakali Kaduvakali — Another name for Puli Kali, the tiger dance in which performers paint their bodies.
Background
Parambikulam is one of the two tiger reserves of Kerala listed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the other being Periyar. The authority's list of tiger reserves records 2009 as the tiger reserve notification year for Parambikulam. Its core area is 390.89 sq km and its buffer area 252.77 sq km, giving a total area of 643.66 sq km. Periyar carries a protected area notification of 1978-79 and a tiger reserve notification year of 2007, with a core area of 881.00 sq km and a buffer area of 44.00 sq km. Parambikulam therefore has the smaller core of the two but much the larger buffer.
Core area:
390.89 sq km
Buffer area:
252.77 sq km
Total area:
643.66 sq km
Tiger reserve notification year:
2009
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's two tiger reserves, with their notification years and core and buffer areas, are standard environment questions, and Parambikulam is the one that is asked about less often than Periyar.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory body that notifies and oversees India's tiger reserves.
Core area Core area — The critical tiger habitat of a reserve, kept free of human use.
Buffer area Buffer area — The surrounding zone of a tiger reserve where regulated human use is allowed.
Background
The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is located at the southernmost end of the Western Ghats in southern India. UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme records its year of nomination as 2016. It covers 3,500 square kilometres and encompasses tropical forest ecosystems within the Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu and the Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of Kerala. Its peaks reach 1,868 m above sea level. The reserve hosts 2,254 species of higher plants, including about 405 that are endemic, and is a unique genetic reservoir of cultivated plants, particularly cardamom, jamun, nutmeg, pepper and plantain. Three wildlife sanctuaries, Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar, are located within the site, as well as the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. There are a number of tribal settlements in the biosphere reserve that rely largely on biological resources for sustenance.
Year of nomination:
2016
Area:
3,500 square kilometres
Highest peaks:
1,868 m above sea level
Higher plant species:
2,254, about 405 endemic
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's biosphere reserves and which of its districts they cover are standard environment questions, and Agasthyamala is the reserve that straddles the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border in the far south.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Biosphere reserve Biosphere reserve — An area recognised under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme for conserving nature alongside human use.
Endemic Endemic — Found naturally only in a particular area and nowhere else.
MAB Man and the Biosphere Programme — The UNESCO programme that designates and reviews biosphere reserves worldwide.
Background
The Kerala Legislature's profile of the State records Anamudi at 2775 metres as the highest peak in Kerala and Agasthyarkoodam as the second highest. The State occupies an area of 38,863 Sq.Kms., which the profile puts at 1.18 percent of the total area of India. Its total population of nearly 3.34 crore is 2.76 percent of the total population of the country. Kerala stretches for about 590 Kms., with its width varying from 32 to 120 Kms., along the Arabian Sea on the Southwest Coast of India. The highlands, or the eastern region, are dominated by the Sahya Mountains or the Western Ghats, where tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom, cinnamon, oil seeds and sandalwood are extensively cultivated. The land derived its name from Keram, the coconut palm.
Highest peak:
Anamudi, 2775 metres
Second highest peak:
Agasthyarkoodam
Area:
38,863 Sq.Kms.
Share of India's area:
1.18 percent
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's area, its share of India's area and population, and the order of its highest peaks are among the most frequently asked Kerala PSC geography facts, and they underlie every reading of the State's hill districts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Sahya Mountains Sahya Mountains — The Indian name for the Western Ghats, the range along Kerala's eastern edge.
Highlands Highlands — The eastern, mountainous one of Kerala's three geographical regions.
Background
The Kerala Legislature's record of President's Rule in Kerala lists seven spells. The first ran from 23-3-1956 to 5-4-1957, the second from 31-7-1959 to 22-2-1960 and the third from 10-9-1964 to 6-3-1967. The fourth was from 4-8-1970 to 3-10-1970 and the fifth from 5-12-1979 to 25-1-1980. The sixth ran from 21-10-1981 to 28-12-1981, and the seventh and last in the record from 17-3-1982 to 23-5-1982. The spell beginning on 10-9-1964 is the longest of the seven, running for close to thirty months. No later spell appears in the legislature's record.
Spells listed:
7
First spell:
23-3-1956 to 5-4-1957
Longest spell:
10-9-1964 to 6-3-1967
Last spell:
17-3-1982 to 23-5-1982
Why it matters for exams: How many times a State has been placed under President's Rule, and when, is a standard polity question, and Kerala's own legislature publishes the dates.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
President's Rule President's Rule — Direct administration of a State by the Union, during which the State Assembly is dissolved or kept in suspended animation.
Background
The Kerala Legislature records the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 as containing provisions for the constitution of Panchayats at Village, Block and District levels thereby introducing a three tier system of Panchayats for the first time. The Act provides for the constitution of a Gramasabha, the assembly of voters, in a village or group of villages. Panchayats were given powers and responsibilities with respect to the plans for economic development and social justice and for the implementation of development schemes. The Act provides for a Finance Commission to review the financial position of the Panchayats. It also provides for the appointment of a State Election Commission for the superintendence, direction and conduct of elections to different levels of panchayats. The Kerala Municipalities Act, 1994 provides for the constitution of Town Panchayats, Municipalities and Municipal Corporation, and gave the Municipalities vast powers with regard to the preparation of plans for the overall economic and social development of these areas. Earlier laws in this field include the Kerala Panchayats Act, 1960, the Kerala Municipal Corporations Act, 1961 and the Kerala District Administration Act, 1980, which aimed at democratic decentralisation of power by the establishment of district councils.
Tiers of panchayat:
Village, Block and District
Village assembly:
Gramasabha
Election body provided for:
State Election Commission
Why it matters for exams: Every question on Kerala's panchayats, gramasabhas, State Election Commission and State Finance Commission runs back to this Act, and it is the frame for all local-body administration in the State.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Gramasabha Gramasabha — The assembly of all registered voters of a panchayat ward or village, the base tier of local democracy.
Three tier system Three tier system — Panchayats at village, block and district level, each with its own elected body.
Democratic decentralisation Democratic decentralisation — Transferring powers and funds from the State to elected local bodies.
Background
The Kerala Legislature describes the Kerala Agricultural Workers Act, 1974, which guaranteed security of employment, sound working conditions and a proper grievance redressal mechanism and constituted the Provident Fund, as the most important among the earliest legislation aiming at labour welfare in the State. A similar legislation protecting the interests of the headload workers was made in the Kerala Headload Workers Act, 1978. Provisions regarding the constitution of a labour welfare fund are found in the Kerala Toddy Worker’s Welfare Fund Act, 1968 and the Kerala Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1975. Welfare funds were built trade by trade, among them the Kerala Motor Transport Worker's Welfare Fund Act, 1985 and the Kerala Fishermen's Welfare Fund Act, 1985, with further funds following for coir, khadi, handloom, abkari, construction, tailoring, and beedi and cigar workers. The Kerala Legislative Assembly passed 4 Bills safeguarding the interests of cashew workers, covering unregistered cashewnut factories, the acquisition of cashew factories, a cashew workers relief and welfare fund, and the procurement and distribution of raw cashewnuts. The Kerala Industrial Establishment (National and Festival Holidays) Act, 1958 was aimed at the welfare of employees of Industrial Establishments.
Earliest major labour welfare Act:
Kerala Agricultural Workers Act, 1974
Bills for cashew workers:
4
Welfare funds of the same year:
Motor transport workers and fishermen, 1985
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's own trade-by-trade welfare fund Acts are the backdrop to every question on State labour rules, and they are the reason an aspirant is asked which occupational group got a fund and when.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Welfare fund Welfare fund — A statutory fund, built from employer and worker contributions, that pays benefits to workers of one trade.
Headload worker Headload worker — A worker who loads, unloads or carries goods by hand or on the head for hire.