26 October 2026
Justice S. Manu of the Kerala High Court sat specially on a Saturday and refused to stay a State Government order reconstituting the Kerala State Waqf Board. The order appointed nine new members and superseded two earlier orders that had named the chairperson and members. The petitions were filed by K.S. Hazma, the earlier chairperson, and C.K. Usman Haji, an earlier member, as WP(C) Nos. 36037 and 36041 of 2026. The Court said it found no ground prima facie for a stringent interim order, but directed that the reconstitution shall be subject to the outcome of the two writ petitions. Notice was issued to the newly appointed chairperson and members, and the pleas were referred to the Division Bench already hearing related public interest litigation.
New members appointed:
9
Writ petitions:
WP(C) Nos. 36037 & 36041 of 2026
Why it matters for exams: The Waqf Act, 1995 and the powers of a State over its Waqf Board are standard polity and law questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Waqf Waqf — A permanent dedication of property for a purpose recognised as religious, pious or charitable under Muslim law.
WP(C) Writ Petition (Civil) — A civil writ petition filed in a High Court under Article 226.
26 October 2026
Kochi City Police Commissioner S. Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar withdrew the Cheranalloor car crash case from the local police station and handed it to the District Crime Branch. The car's registered owner, an Additional District and Sessions Judge posted at the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal in Irinjalakuda, was booked under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, which fixes the liability of an owner or guardian when a juvenile uses the vehicle to commit an offence. A 55-year-old man named Jayabalakrishnan died when the car struck his scooter from behind on Container Road near Maraparambu. Police first registered the case under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and later added Section 105. The Juvenile Justice Board in Ernakulam granted the 17-year-old bail, noting the absence of earlier criminal antecedents, and the police have said they will move the Sessions Court against that order. ADGP (Law and Order) P. Vijayan has sought an explanation from the City Police Commissioner.
Section invoked against the owner:
Section 199A, Motor Vehicles Act
Age of the driver:
17
Why it matters for exams: Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Juvenile Justice Board are frequently asked items of law and governance.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
BNS Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — The criminal code that replaced the Indian Penal Code in 2024.
MACT Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal — The tribunal that decides compensation claims arising from road accidents.
26 October 2026
A Division Bench of Justice K. Natarajan and Justice Johnson John took up the appeals in the CMRL-Exalogic matter and ordered that the investigation be held back, posting the case for hearing on 26 November. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered first information reports on 12 October following a Single Judge's order, under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The reports name Pinarayi Vijayan, who is Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, his daughter Veena T and MLA Mohammed Riyas. The writ petition that led to the Single Judge's order was filed by Adv. K.M. Shajahan. The case concerns financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited and Exalogic Solutions Private Limited. The Supreme Court had earlier set aside the Single Judge's judgment and allowed the appeals to be heard by the Division Bench.
Next hearing:
26 November
FIRs registered on:
12 October
Why it matters for exams: The Prevention of Corruption Act and the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau are regular law and governance questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
VACB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau — Kerala's agency for investigating corruption by public servants.
ECIR Enforcement Case Information Report — The Enforcement Directorate's own first record of a money laundering case.
Background
The Kerala Public Service Commission is the body that recruits for the State's civil services, so its own constitutional position is worth knowing. The Commission describes itself as a body created by the Constitution of India. It advises the Government on civil service matters referred to it under Article 320(3) of the Constitution. On a requisition from the appointing authority it invites applications, conducts written tests, practical and physical efficiency tests and interviews, prepares ranked lists on merit, and recommends candidates while applying the rules of reservation. Its head office is at Pattom in Thiruvananthapuram.
Advisory provision:
Article 320 (3)
Head office:
Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: Articles 315 to 323 on Public Service Commissions are asked in almost every Kerala PSC general paper.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
PSC Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that conducts recruitment to the civil services of a State.
Background
The Kerala Legislative Assembly is in session and among the business before it is the Senior Citizens Bill, which Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's government has placed before the House. The Bill guarantees a set of six rights to elderly people in the State and brings paid elderly care services under regulation, a step the State says is the first of its kind in India. It is the State's own law alongside the central Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. Kerala has the highest share of elderly people among Indian States, which is the reason the Government gives for a statutory guarantee of care rather than a welfare scheme alone.
Rights guaranteed:
6
Why it matters for exams: A State law regulating elderly care, read with the central Act of 2007, is standard social justice material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bill Bill — A draft law placed before a legislature, which becomes an Act when passed and assented to.
Background
Wetland reclamation around the Kochi backwaters is in the news this week, so the status those waters carry is worth knowing. Vembanad-Kol Wetland is Ramsar site number 1214, designated on 19 August 2002, and covers 1,51,250 hectares in Kerala. The Ramsar record calls it the largest brackish, humid tropical wetland ecosystem on the south-west coast of India. It is fed by ten rivers and is typical of the large estuarine systems on India's western coast. It is known for its clams and supports the third largest waterfowl population in India during winter, with more than 90 resident and 50 migratory bird species. The record lists its values as flood protection for the thickly populated coastal areas of three Kerala districts, groundwater recharge that helps supply well water to the region, and considerable value for local transport of people and trade.
Ramsar site number:
1214
Area:
151,250.0 ha
Designated:
19 August 2002
Rivers feeding it:
10
Why it matters for exams: Vembanad-Kol's Ramsar number, area and designation date are directly asked in environment papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Brackish water Brackish water — Water saltier than fresh water but less salty than the sea, as where a river meets the sea.
Background
Palakkad has been on this week's rain warning list, so the district is worth placing. It became an administrative unit on 1 January 1957, formed out of Palakkad, Perinthalmanna, Ponnani, Ottapalam, Alathur and Chittur. Its headquarters is Palakkad town, where the Collectorate stands at the Civil Station. The district administration says Palakkad has no coastline, and the Palakkad Gap, which opens the State to the rest of the country, is 32 to 40 kilometres wide. The district now has six taluks, two revenue divisions, 157 revenue villages, seven municipalities, 13 block panchayats and 88 village panchayats. It is one of Kerala's main granaries, its economy is primarily agricultural, and it is also known as the land of Palmyrahs.
Became an administrative unit:
1 January 1957
Width of the Palakkad Gap:
32 to 40 km
Village panchayats:
88
Why it matters for exams: The Palakkad Gap's width and the district's formation date are standard Kerala geography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Palmyrah Palmyrah palm — The tall fan palm after which Palakkad is called the land of Palmyrahs.
Background
Idukki carried some of this week's heaviest rain warnings, so the district is worth placing. It was created on 26 January 1972 as one of Kerala's fourteen districts. It lies in the Western Ghats and the district administration describes it as a high range district of mountainous hills and dense forests. It is the second largest district of Kerala by area. The administration says about 66 per cent of Kerala's power needs are met by hydroelectric projects in Idukki. More than half the district is under forest cover, and it has the lowest population density in Kerala, with densely populated urban pockets and sparsely populated villages. It is known as the spice garden of Kerala.
Created:
26 January 1972
Share of Kerala's power needs met by its hydel projects:
about 66%
Why it matters for exams: Idukki's formation date, its share of Kerala's hydroelectric power and its population density are asked directly.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
High range High range — The name used in Kerala for the hill country of the Western Ghats.