Nominal Index [Citations: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 175 - 185]Damodaran K. v. State of Kerala, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 175Dr. Vinu Thomas v. State of Kerala and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker)176N.P. Kunhikannan v State of Kerala and Ors. and connected case, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 177Fazeela R.A and Anr. v State of Kerala and Ors., 2026 Livelaw (Ker) 178N. Prakash v State of Kerala and Connected case, 2026...
Nominal Index [Citations: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 175 - 185]
Damodaran K. v. State of Kerala, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 175
Dr. Vinu Thomas v. State of Kerala and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker)176
N.P. Kunhikannan v State of Kerala and Ors. and connected case, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 177
Fazeela R.A and Anr. v State of Kerala and Ors., 2026 Livelaw (Ker) 178
N. Prakash v State of Kerala and Connected case, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 179
Thomas M.K v Govt. of Kerala and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 180
George John v Election Commission of India and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 181
Anjali P.V. (popularly known as Anjali Nair) v. The Returning Officer and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 182
Goshree Islands Development Authority and Anr. v. Tritvam Apartment Owners Association and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 183
Aaliya Ashraf v State of Kerala, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 184
XXX v. The United India Insurance Co. Ltd. and Anr., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 185
Judgments/ Orders This Week
Case Title: Damodaran K. v. State of Kerala
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 175
The Kerala High Court, in a recent judgement, upheld the finding of guilt of a landlord who had trespassed into his tenant's room and vandalized it.
Justice Jobin Sebastian held:
“It is well settled that offences such as criminal trespass and house trespass are offences against possession and not against ownership. Therefore, even a true owner cannot, under the guise of ownership, unlawfully enter premises in the lawful possession of another with the intent to commit an offence. In the present case, the mere fact that the accused is the owner of the room does not, ipso facto, absolve him of criminal liability when such entry is effected with the intention to commit an unlawful act.”
Case Title: Dr. Vinu Thomas v. State of Kerala and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker)176
The Kerala High Court has recently (26 March) dismissed a writ petition challenging the appointment of Dr. V.A Arun Kumar,son of the late former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthananthan as the Director In-Charge of the Institute of Human Resources Development.
Justice N. Nagaresh delivered the judgment in a plea filed by Dr. Vinu Thomas, Dean (Academic) and Controller of Examinations (in charge) at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University.
SHO Cannot Mandate Surrender Of Firearms Via Phone Calls Ahead Of Elections: Kerala High Court
Case Title: N.P. Kunhikannan v State of Kerala and Ors. and connected case
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 177
The Kerala High Court has held that Station House Officer (SHO) cannot mandate surrender of licensed firearms through phone calls ahead of Legislative Assembly Elections in the State.
Justice C. Jayachandran delivered the judgment while allowing two writ petitions who challenged directives issued by local SHOs requiring them to deposit their arms ahead of elections.
Case Title: Fazeela R.A and Anr. v State of Kerala and Ors.
Citation: 2026 Livelaw (Ker) 178
The Kerala High Court has set aside a Government order that proposed transferring a substantial portion of land from a Government UP School in Ramavarmapuram for the construction of a Music College citing lack of proper consideration.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas examined whether the State's decision to transfer a government school playground for constructing a music college was legally sustainable.
Kerala High Court Upholds 2024 Amendment To Kerala Lok Ayukta Act
Case Title: N. Prakash v State of Kerala and Connected case
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 179
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (31 March) upheld the amendments made to the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act (KLAA) in 2024.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M delivered the judgment.
Case Title: Thomas M.K v Govt. of Kerala and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 180
The Kerala High Court has dismissed a writ appeal challenging the constitutional validity of State co-operative banking laws including the Kerala State Co-operative Societies Act, 1969 and the Kerala State Co-operative Agricultural Development Banks Act, 1984.
A Division Bench comprising Justice N. Nagaresh and Justice Johnson John delivered the judgment.
Case Title: George John v Election Commission of India and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 181
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (01 April) dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking enforcement of a circular issued by the Chief Election Officer on March 18, calling for use of eco-friendly and biodegradable electoral campaign materials, ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M refused to entertain the petition noting that the petitioners failed to produce any instances of violations.
Case Title: Anjali P.V. (popularly known as Anjali Nair) v. The Returning Officer and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 182
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (April1) directed the Returning Officer of Thrippunithura Assembly Constituency to hear and pass orders on the representation preferred by actor and Twenty20 party's candidate Anjali P.V. to change her name to her more popularly known name "Anjali Nair" in the ballot paper / Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections.
Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan was hearing a plea preferred by the actor after her representations before the Returning Officer and Chief Electoral Officer were not acted upon.
Case Title: Goshree Islands Development Authority and Anr. v. Tritvam Apartment Owners Association and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 183
The Kerala High Court recently dismissed an appeal preferred by Goshree Islands Development Authority seeking to set aside a Single Bench's order restraining the construction/installation of commercial kiosks on Queen's Walkway in Ernakulam.
The Division Bench of Justice Sathish Ninan and Justice P. Krishna Kumar remarked that it would not be proper for it to consider the appeal presently.
Case Title: Aaliya Ashraf v State of Kerala
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 184
The Kerala High Court has held that repeat drug offenders can be held as “Goonda” under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007 (KAAPA Act).
A five-judge Larger Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran, Justice P Gopinath, Justice A Badharudeen, Justice MB Snehalatha, and Justice Jobin Sebastian delivered the judgment in a reference made due to conflicting judicial precedents.
Case Title: XXX v. The United India Insurance Co. Ltd. and Anr.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 185
The Kerala High Court recently considered an appeal seeking enhancement of compensation awarded by a Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal to a child, who suffered intellectual disability, following an accident.
Justice Sobha Annamma Eapen interacted with the injured person and opined that her functional disability should be assessed as 100% since intellectual disability results in life-long impairment.
Other Important Developments This Week
Kerala High Court Expresses Satisfaction With Waste Management Measures At Chottanikkara Temple
Case Title: Suo Motu v. State of Kerala and Ors. and connected cases
Case No: DBP No. 52 of 2025 and connected cases
The Kerala High Court has recently (26 March) expressed satisfaction with the progress of waste management and sanitation measures at the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple, while directing authorities to ensure continued upkeep of the premises.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar was considering a suo motu proceeding initiated over allegations of maladministration and corruption, absence of basic amenities, misconduct by temple staff, deterioration in quality of offerings to the deity, financial irregularities, etc.in the Chottanikkara Temple.
Senior Advocate P Sreekumar Appointed As ASG At Kerala High Court
The President of India has appointed Senior Advocate P. Sreekumar as Additional Solicitor General for India at High Court of Kerala with effect from 23.03.2026.
Case Title: Tritvam Apartment Owners Association (TAOA) and Anr. v. The District Collector and Ors.
Case No: WP(C) 6851/2026
The Kerala High Court on Monday (March 30) questioned the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) regarding its authority to construct the proposed 20 commercial kiosks on Queen's walkway.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas was considering a plea preferred by the Tritvam Apartment Owners Association and its President, stating that the construction of the kiosks would change the residential character of the area, overburden civic infrastructure and also create traffic congestion, health and safety risks.
Case Title: Abdal Rahim H. v. Union of India and Ors.
Case No: WP(C) No. 3872/2026
The Kerala High Court on Monday (March 30) reserved its verdict in the plea seeking to stall the release of the film 'Kaalam Paranja Kadha', which is allegedly inspired by the Venjaramoodu mass murder case, the trial of which is pending before the Sessions Court.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas reserved the judgement.
Case Title: Suo Motu v. State of Kerala and Ors. and connected case
Case No: WP(C) Nos. 42844 and 48511 of 2025
The Kerala High Court on Monday (March 30) directed the Member Secretary of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) to expeditiously disburse the victim compensation amount and mediator fees that was authorized by the State government.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. also directed the Member Secretary to file a report in this regard, mentioning the amounts required in the next financial year.
Case Title: Kerala Private Hospital Association v. State of Kerala and Ors. and connected matters
Case No: WP(C) No. 8176 of 2026 and connected matters
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (March 31) orally remarked that the government must step in to ensure that essential services in private hospitals are not affected by the strike by the nurses.
Justice P. Gopinath was considering a batch of petitions, including a plea preferred by the Kerala Private Hospital Association seeking intervention to address the indefinite strike called in the State by the members of the Kerala United Nurses Association.
Case Title: Kerala State Legal Service Authority v. Government of Kerala and Others
Case No: WP(C) No. 8600 of 2025
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (March 31) directed the Law Secretary to appear before it and explain the delay in tabling the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging (Amendment) Bill, 2025 before the State Cabinet.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C. Jayachandran was considering a public interest litigation moved by KeLSA (Kerala State Legal Services Authority), seeking stronger laws to combat the menace of ragging within educational institutions.
Speaking at his farewell reference organized at the Kerala High Court on Tuesday (March 31), Justice N Nagaresh–who demitted office upon superannuation, gave special commendation to formidable force of high court's women lawyers who he said were rated to be best in the country.
Kerala High Court Refuses To Dismiss Election Petition Against Union Minister Suresh Gopi
Case Title: Binoy A.S. v. Suresh Gopi and Anr.
Case No: IA 1/2025 in Election Petition No. 1 of 2024
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (April 01) dismissed an interim application filed by Union Minister and actor Suresh Gopi seeking a declaration that the election petition filed against him over alleged corrupt practices was not maintainable.
Dr. Justice Kauser Edappagath pronounced in open court:
"Thus, the upshot of the above discussion is that challenge to the maintainability of the election petition on all grounds raised by the petitioner must fail. Hence, the preliminary objection raised by the petitioner is overruled. It is held that election petition is not liable to be dismissed".
Case Title: Suo Motu v The State of Kerala and Ors.
Case No: WP(C) 13064/ 2026
The Kerala High Court has initiated suo motu writ proceedings to address the issue of prison overcrowding and to strengthen open correctional institutions, in line with recent directions issued by the Supreme Court of India.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M took cognizance of the matter following the Supreme Court's judgment dated February 26, 2026, which called upon High Courts across the country to examine prison conditions within their respective jurisdictions.