29 October 2026
The Kerala High Court has held that Rule 7(37) of the Kerala Abkari Shops Disposal Rules, 2002 is unconstitutional. That rule said no woman could be employed in any capacity in a toddy shop. Justice P. Gopinath decided the case of a woman from Thrissur district whose husband had worked in a toddy shop; she was refused a compassionate appointment there because of the rule. The judge held the bar was neither justified in principle nor proportionate, and that it went against Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. He followed the Supreme Court's decision in Anuj Garg v. Hotel Association of India, which said the State must make a workplace safe rather than shut women out of it. The Court directed that her claim be looked at without applying the rule, and said no licence condition resting on the rule can stand. The ruling is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 606.
Rule struck down:
Rule 7(37), Kerala Abkari Shops Disposal Rules, 2002
Judge:
Justice P. Gopinath
Articles relied on:
Articles 14, 15, 19, 21
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 606
Why it matters for exams: A named rule struck down: Rule 7(37) of the Kerala Abkari Shops Disposal Rules, 2002, on Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21, following Anuj Garg v. Hotel Association of India.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Abkari Abkari law (excise law in Kerala) — Abkari is the word Kerala's statutes use for excise, the law on liquor.
Compassionate appointment Compassionate appointment — A job given to a dependant of an employee who died in service.
29 October 2026
The Kerala High Court is watching how the State carries out the Supreme Court's directions on stray dogs. Hearing the matter, Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Preeta A.K. said a local body that cannot find land of its own may join two or three panchayats and run one shelter between them. Public opposition is no excuse for not complying, the judges said, and a local body that fails may face contempt action in the Supreme Court. Dogs picked up from public places and given Animal Birth Control treatment must be let go again, as the Supreme Court directed, instead of being held in shelters. Two lawyers, Shruthi Bhat and Pooja Omanakuttan, were named amici curiae to watch compliance and send in reports from time to time. The High Court Registry was told to put together one consolidated compliance report for the Supreme Court by 6 November. The case follows the Supreme Court's own suo motu petition on stray dogs.
Court:
Kerala High Court, Division Bench
Shelter sharing allowed:
Two or three panchayats together
Consolidated report due:
6 November 2026
Why it matters for exams: A durable administrative rule for local bodies: shelters may be shared by two or three panchayats, and ABC-treated dogs must be released, under the Supreme Court's stray dog directions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ABC Animal Birth Control — The sterilisation and vaccination programme for street dogs.
Amicus curiae Amicus curiae — A lawyer appointed to assist the court rather than a party.
Contempt proceedings Contempt of court proceedings — Action taken when a court's order is not obeyed.
31 October 2026
Kerala Police has started a public campaign against online fraud called CLICK, short for Community-Led Initiative for Cyber Resilient Kerala.
It was planned by the Cyber Wing of the police under the Home Department, and its stated goal is a fully cyber-resilient State by 2027.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala opened it at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi and named actor Mammootty the police force's Cyber Security Captain.
The minister said stopping cybercrime before it happens matters more than investigating it afterwards.
Kerala registered more than 54,000 cyber fraud complaints last year.
Ten students received CLICK Captain caps from Mammootty, and people were told to report fraud at once on the helpline 1930.
Campaign:
CLICK
Target year:
2027
Cyber fraud complaints last year:
more than 54,000
Helpline:
1930
Why it matters for exams: CLICK's expansion, its 2027 target and the national cybercrime helpline number 1930 are standard current-affairs and general-awareness facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
CLICK Community-Led Initiative for Cyber Resilient Kerala — Kerala Police's public campaign against cyber fraud, launched in Kochi.
1930 National cybercrime helpline — The number to call at once after an online financial fraud.
Background
The Kerala High Court's Munnar Bench is pressing for a Special Task Force on government land in Idukki, so the district itself is worth placing. Idukki was formed on 26 January 1972, and the district administration describes it as the second largest district in Kerala by area. It lies in the Western Ghats, and more than half of the district is forest reserve. The district administration says the hydroelectric projects there supply about 66 per cent of Kerala's power needs. Idukki has the lowest population density of any district in Kerala, with dense towns and thinly settled villages. It is called the spice garden of Kerala. Munnar and Vagamon, the places in the land encroachment case, lie within it.
Formed:
26 January 1972
Area rank in Kerala:
Second largest district
Share of State's power need:
About 66%
Nickname:
Spice garden of Kerala
Why it matters for exams: Durable district facts: Idukki formed on 26 January 1972, second largest in Kerala by area, lowest population density, hydel projects giving about 66 per cent of the State's power, spice garden of Kerala.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Forest reserve Reserve forest — Forest land notified by the government with restrictions on use.
Population density Population density — The number of people living in one square kilometre.