Kerala Assembly Polls 2026 : High Court Directs Swift Action On Candidate's Complaint Over Strong Room Opening
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (28 April) directed the Chief Electoral Officer to consider and dispose of representations alleging the opening of strong room storing ballot boxes of General Election in the State within three days.
Justice K. V. Jayakumar issued the order in a plea by UDF candidate Adv. K. Praveen which alleged that the strong room located at JDT Islam Convention Centre, where the ballot boxes of the Assembly Constituencies were stored, was opened on 20.04.2026 under the supervision of officials without any prior intimation to the candidates or their Chief Agents.
The Counsel for the petitioner submitted that party workers had been monitoring the premises round-the-clock and that candidates rushed to the site upon learning of the development, seeking clarification from officials. Subsequently, representations dated April 20 and 21 were submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer and the District Election Officer, requesting an explanation.
During the hearing, the petitioner sought a direction to ensure time-bound consideration of these representations. The Standing Counsel for the Election Commission informed the court that the matter could be addressed within three days.
Recording the submissions, the court directed the first respondent to consider the representations after affording the petitioner an opportunity to be heard through online means. The court further ordered that a decision be taken within three days from the date of the order.
The matter has been posted for further consideration on June 3, 2026.
Case Title: Adv. K. Praveen Kumar v Chief Electoral Officer Election to Kerala State Legislative Assembly
Case No: WP(C) 15896/ 2026