Citations: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 286 - 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 299Nominal IndexMarakkar v. State of Kerala & connected cases, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 286The State Public Information Officer and Ors. v. The Kerala State Information Commission and Anr, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 287Aneesh Babu v. The Secretary, Home Affairs and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 288Sreeja v Malabar Devaswom Board and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw...
Citations: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 286 - 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 299
Nominal Index
Marakkar v. State of Kerala & connected cases, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 286
The State Public Information Officer and Ors. v. The Kerala State Information Commission and Anr, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 287
Aneesh Babu v. The Secretary, Home Affairs and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 288
Sreeja v Malabar Devaswom Board and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 289
Babu Avarachan v. State of Kerala, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 290
M/S. Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited and Ors. v. Directorate of Enforcement, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 291
Prasobh M v State of Kerala, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 292
M K Suresh Kumar and Anr. v The Union of India, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 293
K.N. Sukumaran Nair v. K.E. Parameswara Pillai, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 294
Union of India and Ors. v Valsala S, 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 295
Ayshath Bunayath and Anr. v The Union of India and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 296
Suo Motu v. State of Kerala and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 297
P.V. Surendran v. Kavitha Rajendran and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 298
Balamurali Krishna M. v. Union of India and Ors., 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 299
Judgements/ Orders This Week
Case title: Marakkar v. State of Kerala & connected cases
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 286
The Kerala High Court on Monday (May 25) acquitted Hussain, the first accused in the murder of Madhu, a mentally challenged tribal youth, who was brutally lynched to death for stealing rice from a grocery shop in Attappady, Palakkad in February 2018.
The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar passed the verdict in the appeal preferred by the convict.
The State and the victim's mother had also preferred separate appeals challenging acquittal of two.
Madhu Lynching Case: Kerala High Court Sentences 12 Convicts To Life Imprisonment
Case title: Marakkar v. State of Kerala & connected cases
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 286
The Kerala High Court on Monday (May 25) awarded life imprisonment to the 12 persons convicted of the murder of Madhu, a mentally challenged tribal youth, who was brutally lynched to death for stealing rice from a grocery shop in Attappady, Palakkad in February 2018.
The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar heard the convicts regarding sentencing and passed the order.
Case Title: The State Public Information Officer and Ors. v. The Kerala State Information Commission and Anr.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 287
The Kerala High Court recently held that there is no unrestricted right under the proviso to Section 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information Act to seek every information that would have been supplied to the legislature.
Justice Mohammed Nias C.P. further clarified that with the introduction of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the disclosure framework founded upon balancing of public interest is also materially curtailed, and had the effect of doing away with the above proviso.
Case Title: Aneesh Babu v. The Secretary, Home Affairs and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 288
The Kerala High Court on Monday (25 May) declined to transfer an ongoing criminal investigation alleged against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Shekhar Kumar to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), holding that the matter is still under active probe by the Vigilance authorities and that it would be premature to order a central agency investigation at this stage.
Justice A. Badharudeen passed the order.
Case Title: Sreeja v Malabar Devaswom Board and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 289
The Kerala High Court has held that the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 does not completely govern land acquisitions undertaken under the National Highways Act merely because of the Central Government notification issued under Section 105 of the 2013 Act.
Justice Easwaran S., delivered the judgment.
Case Title: Babu Avarachan v. State of Kerala
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 290
The Kerala High Court recently held that a person, who is charged with hurt to defer public servant under Section 332 IPC, cannot be convicted under Section 324 IPC for causing hurt by dangerous means/weapons unless a specific charge is made out as required under Section 222 CrPC.
Justice Jobin Sebastian added that conviction under Section 323 IPC for simple hurt would sustain if Section 332 IPC is charged as the former is a 'minor charge'.
Kerala High Court Dismisses CMRL's Plea To Quash ED Case Alleging Misappropriation Of Public Money
Case Number: M/S. Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited and Ors. v. Directorate of Enforcement
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 291
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (May 26) dismissed the petition filed by the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) seeking to quash the proceedings initiated by the Enforcement Directorate in view of the bribery and money laundering allegation against the company.
Justice T.R. Ravi observed that the present plea, made at the stage of issuance of summons, was premature.
FIR For Scheduled Offence Not Necessary For ED Investigation : Kerala High Court In CMRL Case
Case Number: M/S. Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited and Ors. v. Directorate of Enforcement
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 291
The Kerala High Court has held that the absence of an FIR for a scheduled offence does not bar the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from initiating investigation proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Justice T.R. Ravi dismissed a writ petition filed by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and its officials challenging the ED proceedings initiated in connection with the alleged CMRL-Exalogic transactions.
Case Title: Prasobh M v State of Kerala
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 292
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (26 May) dismissed a criminal appeal filed by Prasobh M, former Congress councillor of the Palakkad Municipality, challenging denial of Anticipatory Bail by a Special SC/ST Court in a sexual assault case.
Justice A Badharudeen dismissed the appeal.
Case Title: M K Suresh Kumar and Anr. v The Union of India
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 293
The Kerala High Court has recently upheld the constitutional validity of Section 104(1A) of the Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Act, 2026, and held that the provision enabling existing labour adjudicatory forums to continue functioning until new tribunals are constituted is a lawful transitional mechanism and not “manifestly arbitrary.”
A Division Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Basant Balaji dismissed a writ appeal challenging the judgment of a Single Judge which had earlier upheld the amendment to the Industrial Code.
Case Title: K.N. Sukumaran Nair v. K.E. Parameswara Pillai
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 294
The Kerala High Court recently held that it is not necessary to schedule the property of the defendant in suits for determination/fixation of boundary as per Order VII Rule 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
The Division Bench of Justice Satish Ninan and Justice P. Krishna Kumar clarified that the mandate is that the plaint must describe the plaintiff's property and mention that the adjoining property of the disputed boundary belongs to the defendant.
Case Title: Union of India and Ors. v Valsala S
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 295
The Kerala High Court has reaffirmed that armed forces personnel invalided out of service due to schizophrenia are entitled to the benefit of statutory presumptions under military pension rules unless the authorities provide reasons to deny disability pension.
A Division Bench comprising Justice K. Natarajan and Justice Johnson John dismissed a writ petition filed by the Union of India challenging an Armed Forces Tribunal order granting disability pension to the widow of a deceased ex-serviceman.
Case Title: Ayshath Bunayath and Anr. v The Union of India and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 296
The Kerala High Court has held that passport authorities cannot insist on a court-issued divorce decree for deleting a spouse's name from a passport when the marriage has already been dissolved through a legally recognised form of extra-judicial divorce under Muslim personal law.
Justice Murali Purushothaman was delivering the judgment in a writ petition filed by a divorced Muslim woman seeking reissue of her passport after dissolution of marriage through Mubaraat.
Case Title: Suo Motu v. State of Kerala and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 297
The Kerala High Court on Friday (May 29) closed the suo motu petition initiated to address the issue of dumping of Sabarimala pilgrims' clothes in the River Pamba after noting that 97% of the waste dumped has been removed.
The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and local authorities concerned to ensure that dumping of clothes is prohibited and its earlier directions in the case are complied with.
Case Title: P.V. Surendran v. Kavitha Rajendran and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 298
The Kerala High Court has said that under Section 17 CPC if immovable properties are situated in the jurisdiction of different Courts, then a partition suit can be instituted in any of the Courts within whose jurisdiction any portion of the property or one or more properties may be situated.
The Division Bench of Justice Sathish Ninan and Justice P. Krishna Kumar examined Sections 16 and 17 CPC as well as the Apex Court decision in Shivnarayan (D) By Lrs. v. Maniklal (D) Thr. Lrs. and others.
Case Title: Balamurali Krishna M. v. Union of India and Ors.
Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 299
The Kerala High Court, in a recent decision, laid down that denial of disability pension to an ex-army personnel based on a medical opinion that is not fully supported by reasons is not valid.
The Division Bench of Justice K. Natarajan and Justice Johnson John was considering a writ petition that challenged an order of the Armed Forces Tribunal that rejected the claim of the petitioner for disability pension.
Other Important Developments This Week
Case Title: Kadakampally Manoj v. Mohammed Hanish
Case No: Con.Case (C) No. 908 of 2025
The Kerala High Court on Monday (25 May) deferred personal appearance of the Principal Secretary, Industries Department (Cashew) of the State government in a contempt case initiated for repeatedly denying sanction for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute allegedly corrupt ex-officials of the State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC).
Justice A. Badharudeen deferred the appearance of the Principle Secretary till 1 June, 2026.
Case No: OP(C) 1129/2026
Case Title: Superintendent of Police and Anr v. Sankaran Nair (Died) and Ors.
The Kerala High Court on Monday (May 25) granted 2 weeks' time to the State to carry out the eviction of the families residing in the contentious Malayodamthuruthu in Ernakulam district.
Today, when the matter came up for consideration before Justice T.R. Ravi, Advocate General Jaju Babu submitted that the government is taking efforts to sort out the issue amicably and 2 weeks' time is required to do the same.
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 on Monday (May 25) warned that it would take action against officers concerned if the unhygienic conditions at Chottanikkara Temple is not rectified.
The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar today interacted with the Nodal Officer, the Assistant Engineer, the Assistant Commissioner, and the Devaswom Manager of Chottanikkara. After doing so, the Bench remarked:
"In the interaction, we find that the officers are blaming each for the plight of the temple and the unclean nature of the premises. The Assistant Engineer would blame the Assistant Commissioner and the Devaswom Manager."
Advocate KC Vincent Appointed As Additional Advocate General Of Kerala
The newly-elected UDF government has appointed Advocate K.C. Vincent as the Additional Advocate General of Kerala.
Case Title: State of Kerala v. Kandararu Rajeevaru @ Rajeev T and connected case
Case No: Crl. MC 2455/ 2026 and connected case
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (26 May) orally remarked that it is not inclined to cancel the bail granted to Thanthri Kandararu Rajeevaru, who is arrayed as an accused in the Sabarimala Gold Theft case.
Justice A. Badharudeen made the oral observation while considering the State's plea seeking to cancel the bail granted to Kandararu Rajeevaru.
Shuhaib Murder Case: Kerala High Court Stays Sessions Court Order Cancelling Bail To All 17 Accused
Case Title: Akash M.V. and Ors. v. State of Kerala
Case No: Bail Appl. 2930/2026
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (May 26) stayed the order passed by the Additional Sessions Court III, Thalassery cancelling the bail of all the seventeen persons accused of the murder of Youth Congress activist Shuhaib and directed for the issuance of release order.
Dr. Justice Kauser Edappagath observed that the order appears to be ex-facie illegal and granted the stay of the order.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (26 May) held a farewell reference in honour of Justice C. Pratheep Kumar, who retires on May 28 after nearly three decades of judicial service, including over two and a half years as a Judge of the Kerala High Court.
The reference was attended by members of the Bench, Bar, and legal fraternity.
Case Title: Suo Motu v. State of Kerala and Ors.
Case No: SSCR No. 14 of 2026
The Kerala High Court on Friday (May 29) directed the State Audit Department to conduct audit into the conduct of Ashtabhishekams in Sabarimala temple during the past 10 years and submit its report within 3 weeks.
The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar was considering a suo motu petition initiated based on a report by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner alleging misappropriation of funds by the Administrative Officers of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) while procuring 3 out of the 8 items required for conducting Ashtabhishekam ritual.
Case Title: Moh Farmaan and Anr. v. State of Kerala and Ors.
Case No: B.A. No. 1644 of 2026
Madhya Pradesh police told the Kerala High Court on Friday (May 29) that an offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 has been incorporated against Farmaan, the husband of viral Kumb Mela star and hence the anticipatory bail moved by the couple was not maintainable.
The submission was made by ASG SV Raju appearing for MP police, before Dr. Justice Kauser Edappagath, who was hearing the couple's plea seeking pre-arrest bail in the crime lodged after Bhosle's father filed a complaint before MP police alleging abduction of his daughter. The couple had filed an amendment petition seeking to amend the pleadings in the bail application and the same was also heard by the Court.
Case Title: M/S Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited and Ors. v Directorate of Enforcement
Case No: WA 1140/ 2026
Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL) and its officials have moved the Kerala High Court in an appeal against a single-judge's order dismissing the company's plea to quash a case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) alleging misappropriation of Public Money.
Speaking at her farewell reference at the Kerala High Court on Friday (May 29) Justice M.B. Snehalatha said that each day on the bench reminded her of the trust placed by litigants in courts, adding that this trust is sacred and the she has endeavoured to uphold it with integrity, patience and impartiality.
Case Title: Mohammed Hanish v. Kadakampally Manoj
Case No: WA 1093/ 2026 in Con.Case(C) 908/2025
The Kerala High Court on Friday (29 May) directed the Single Judge of the Court to defer the personal appearance of the Principal Secretary, Industries Department (Cashew) of the State Government in a contempt case till the disposal of the appeal against the Single Judge's order.
An appeal was filed against the Single Judge's order. The Division Bench of Justice K. Natarajan and Justice Johnson John while considering the appeal directed the Single Judge to defer appearance of Principle Secretary till disposal of the appeal.