25 October 2026
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, before he was relieved as Governor of Keralam on October 23, wrote to President Droupadi Murmu recommending the removal of Kerala Public Service Commission chairman M R Baiju and its members for misbehaviour. Article 317 of the Constitution allows the President to remove a member of a State Public Service Commission on the ground of misbehaviour, but only after the Supreme Court holds an inquiry and reports on it. The recommendation follows errors admitted in the evaluation of a common test for three Kerala State Planning Board chief posts, in which 228 answer sheets were involved. Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan said the removal cannot be recommended before such an inquiry and pointed to Article 316, under which members hold office for a six-year term. A Crime Branch investigation into the examination is under way.
Constitutional provision:
Article 317
Answer sheets involved:
228
Term of a member:
six-year term
Why it matters for exams: Articles 315 to 323 on Public Service Commissions are a standing favourite, and this is a rare live use of Article 317.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
KPSC Kerala Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that recruits for Kerala government services.
24 October 2026
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court comprising Justice Satish Ninan and Justice P. Krishna Kumar has posted for hearing the writ appeals filed by former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T. and former minister Muhammed Riyas P.A. in the CMRL-Exalogic matter. A Single Bench had directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register an FIR against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act, acting on information from the Directorate of Enforcement, and had set aside the State order constituting a Special Investigation Team for a preliminary enquiry. The appellants argue they were not heard before that order. The Supreme Court on October 21 set aside the Division Bench's earlier refusal of leave to appeal and remanded the matter, with a ten-day stay on the investigation.
Bench:
Justice Satish Ninan and Justice P. Krishna Kumar
Law invoked:
Prevention of Corruption Act
Why it matters for exams: The Prevention of Corruption Act and the chain of Vigilance, ED and High Court jurisdiction are standard polity and law questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
VACB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau — Kerala's agency for corruption cases against public servants.
25 October 2026
The Crime Branch inquiry that began with the Kerala State Planning Board chief recruitment has been widened to cover irregularities flagged in three further Kerala Public Service Commission recruitments. The Special Investigation Team told the Kerala High Court it had received 180 complaints about the Commission, of which nine were found to need detailed investigation after preliminary scrutiny. The original case concerns a common test for three Planning Board chief posts in which answer sheets were only partly evaluated before rank lists were published. The Kerala Public Service Commission is a constitutional body created under Article 315 and advises the State Government on recruitment to its services.
Complaints received:
180 complaints
Taken up for detailed probe:
nine
Why it matters for exams: Article 315 and the advisory role of a State Public Service Commission are standard Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SIT Special Investigation Team — A team formed to investigate a particular case or set of cases.
25 October 2026
Police in Kochi have added a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the case of a car crash in which a scooter rider aged 55 was killed. The vehicle was being driven at night by the seventeen-year-old son of a judge, and the driver had first been booked under Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Because the driver is below eighteen, he is a child in conflict with law and is dealt with under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, under which a Juvenile Justice Board, and not an ordinary criminal court, conducts the inquiry. The minor was released on station bail under Section 8 of that Act. The victim's family has protested at the police station.
Age of the driver:
17
Why it matters for exams: The Juvenile Justice Act and the Juvenile Justice Board appear in polity, law and social justice questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
JJB Juvenile Justice Board — The body that inquires into offences by children in conflict with law.
25 October 2026
The 68th Kerala State School Sports Meet has begun, with 9,309 children taking part, among them 28 pupils from Gulf schools. It is the third edition held in an Olympics-style format. The main venue is the new track at the National Institute of Technology at Chathamangalam, and the competitions are spread across ten venues over seven days, with the closing ceremony on October 31. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan inaugurated the meet and Indian Olympic Association president P.T. Usha lit the ceremonial flame. About 4,000 athletes join the march-past, and the programme includes inclusive athletics for children with special needs.
Athletes:
9,309
Edition:
68th
Venues:
10 venues
Why it matters for exams: The name of the Indian Olympic Association president and the full form of NIT are asked in general knowledge and sports sections.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
IOA Indian Olympic Association — India's National Olympic Committee, which sends Indian teams to the Olympic Games.
25 October 2026
The Kerala government has ordered a detailed financial examination of the irregularities found in the Vigilance inspections of the Kerala State Sports Council. Sports Minister O.J. Jenish told the Niyamasabha, in reply to a question by P. Abdulla MLA, that the Finance Inspection wing has been asked to carry out the review. The Vigilance department had carried out surprise inspections under the name Operation Kalikkalam on September 24 at the state Sports Council headquarters and at 14 district sports council offices. The inspections found cash books and purchase registers poorly maintained, sports equipment bought without tenders, and most district councils not fully using funds received under the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan scheme.
Offices inspected:
14 district sports council offices
Operation name:
Operation Kalikkalam
Why it matters for exams: The PYKKA scheme and the structure of the Kerala State Sports Council are asked in sports and governance sections.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
PYKKA Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan — A central scheme to build sports facilities and run competitions at panchayat level.
Background
The Kerala Forest Department's account of the State's physiography records that Kerala has 44 perennial rivers. Three of them flow eastward and 41 drain into the Lakshadweep Sea. The Kerala Legislature's own profile of the State gives the same split, 41 west flowing and three east flowing. The department records that these rivers have steep gradients and swift flow, form no deltas, and primarily follow a dendritic drainage pattern. Kerala's terrain is divided into three natural regions, the highlands, midlands, and lowlands. Vembanad, Kerala's largest lake, is part of the Kerala Backwaters in the lowlands. Kerala lies on the windward side of the Western Ghats and receives an average annual rainfall of about 3000 mm.
Perennial rivers:
44
East-flowing rivers:
3
Rivers draining into the Lakshadweep Sea:
41
Average annual rainfall:
about 3000 mm
Why it matters for exams: River counts, the east-flowing exceptions and Kerala's three natural regions are standing one-mark questions in every Kerala PSC paper.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Dendritic drainage Dendritic drainage pattern — A branching, tree-like pattern of streams joining a main river.
Background
The Kerala Forest Department's list of national parks in the State names Silent Valley National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Anamudi Shola National Park, Pampadum Shola National Park and Mathikettan Shola National Park. Activities inside a national park are strictly regulated as per The Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972. Silent Valley National Park is located in the Nilgiri Hills of Kerala and is a pristine tropical rainforest. Eravikulam National Park, established in 1978, spans approximately 97 square kilometers in Kerala's Idukki and Ernakulam districts and houses the largest wild population of the endangered Nilgiri tahr. Pampadum Shola National Park, covering 1.32 sq. km, is the smallest national park in the state. Anamudi Shola National Park covers 7.5 sq. km and Mathikettan Shola National Park spans 12.82 sq. km, both in Idukki district.
Smallest national park:
Pampadum Shola, 1.32 sq. km
Eravikulam area:
approximately 97 square kilometers
Anamudi Shola area:
7.5 sq. km
Mathikettan Shola area:
12.82 sq. km
Why it matters for exams: The smallest park, the Nilgiri tahr park and the Act that governs national parks are the three facts examiners draw from this list.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Nilgiri tahr Nilgiritragus hylocrius — An endangered mountain goat of the Western Ghats and the State animal of Tamil Nadu.
Background
Elephant Reserves are designated areas set up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with State Forest Departments. Wayanad, Nilambur, Anamudi and Periyar are the four Elephant Reserves in Kerala. The Wayanad reserve covers Wayanad, Kannur and Kozhikode districts; Nilambur covers Malappuram, Kozhikode and Palakkad. Anamudi covers Thrissur, Palakkad, Ernakulam and Idukki, and Periyar covers Idukki, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram. Periyar is the largest of the four with an extent of 3742 sq.km and Wayanad the smallest at 1200 sq.km. A reserve is notified after approval from a steering committee chaired by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. Across India 33 Elephant Reserves are operational in 14 major elephant range states, covering 80,777.778 square kilometers, and 150 elephant corridors have been identified and validated across 15 states.
Elephant Reserves in Kerala:
4
Largest reserve:
Periyar, 3742 sq.km
Elephant Reserves in India:
33
Elephant corridors validated:
150
Why it matters for exams: Human-elephant conflict policy is live in Kerala, and the names, number and extent of the four reserves are the durable part of it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MoEFCC Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change — The Union ministry that notifies Elephant Reserves and runs Project Elephant.
Background
Kerala was formed on November 1, 1956 by merging Travancore, Cochin and Malabar areas, and Mr. E.A. Lazredo was the first Chief Conservator of Forests. The Kerala Forest Act was promulgated in 1961 and the State adopted the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 in 1973. The Social Forestry Wing was formed in 1982, backed by the World Bank, to supply seedlings to farmers and raise plantations in public areas. A dedicated Wildlife Wing was established in 1985, spearheaded by the Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, and aligned with the national goal of maintaining at least 10% of the state's land area as protected areas. In 1986 the head of the Kerala Forest Department was designated as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. The Forest Station System, modelled after police stations, was introduced in 1988 and 94 Forest Stations are operational. Special Forest Courts were established in 1994 at Manjeri, Punalur, and Thodupuzha to expedite the trial of forest-related offences. Mr. S.C.H. Robinson was appointed as the first Game Warden in 1933, responsible for wildlife protection.
First Chief Conservator of Forests:
Mr. E.A. Lazredo
Wildlife Wing established:
1985
Forest Stations operational:
94
Special Forest Courts:
Manjeri, Punalur, Thodupuzha
Why it matters for exams: Which officer heads the wildlife wing, what the department's head is designated and where the special forest courts sit are asked whenever forest law is in the news.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PCCF Principal Chief Conservator of Forests — The designation given to the head of the Kerala Forest Department.
Background
The Kerala Forest Department records that wetlands cover about one-fifth of the State's land area and that Kerala has more than 200 wetland areas. These include marshes, waterlogged areas, polders bordering backwaters, lakes and the Myristica Swamps of the Western Ghats. The State Wetland Authority Kerala (SWAK), established under the Department of Environment, oversees wetland management. SWAK focuses on policy development, regulatory frameworks, integrated management, capacity building, research and awareness. The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment has developed management plans for key lakes like Vembanad, Sasthamcotta and Ashtamudi. Kerala has a limited number of inland lakes, with Pokkode, Sasthamkotta and Vellayani being notable examples. Sasthamkotta lake, a tributary of the Kallada River, provides drinking water to Kollam town. Large dams like Mullaperiyar and Idukki capture most of the Periyar River's water.
Wetland share of land area:
about one-fifth
Wetland areas:
more than 200
Authority:
State Wetland Authority Kerala (SWAK)
Parent department:
Department of Environment
Why it matters for exams: Wetland regulation is the standing legal frame behind every Kerala flood story, and the name of the authority and the lakes it covers are asked directly.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SWAK State Wetland Authority Kerala — The body under the Department of Environment that oversees wetland management in Kerala.
Background
The Institute of Advanced Virology was established in 2019 in the Bio 360 Life Sciences Park, Thonnakkal, Trivandrum by the Government of Kerala. It is meant to work on research, diagnosis and management of emerging and re-emerging infectious viral diseases. The institute is to strengthen epidemic preparedness, rapid response and risk communication to the public. It is to have bio-safety level measures to handle high-risk viruses, Bio-safety Level 3 initially and eventually to Level 4. The functioning of its activities was declared by the Chief Minister on October 15, 2020. The campus has a Phase IA prefab building of 25,000 sq.ft. and a Phase IB main building of 78,000 sq.ft. The Governing Council is responsible for the overall administration of the Institute; the Chief Minister of Kerala is its Chairperson and the Minister for Health and Family Welfare is ex officio Vice Chairperson. Its ex officio members include the Chief Secretary of Kerala, the Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Director of the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune. Its eight departments are Clinical Virology; Viral Diagnostics; Viral Vaccines; Antiviral Drug Research; Virus Applications; Virus Epidemiology, Vector Dynamics and Public Health; Virus Genomics, Bioinformatics and Statistics; and Basic and General Virology.
Established:
2019
Location:
Bio 360 Life Sciences Park, Thonnakkal, Trivandrum
Governing Council Chairperson:
Chief Minister of Kerala
Bio-safety level planned:
Level 3 initially, eventually Level 4
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's standing answer to viral outbreaks is this institute, and its location, chairperson and bio-safety level are the facts asked about it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IAV Institute of Advanced Virology — A Government of Kerala institute at Thonnakkal for research and diagnosis of viral diseases.