Magistrate Courts Can Order Release Of Vehicles Seized For Illegal Waste Dumping: Kerala High Court Clarifies Its Suo Motu Order Not A Bar

The Kerala High Court has clarified that it had not, in its suo motu case concerning waste management in the State, prohibited the Magistrates from releasing vehicles seized for illegal waste dumping.In the present case, the petitioner had approached the jurisdictional magistrate court for getting interim custody of a pickup van but his petition was dismissed. The magistrate stated that it...

No Stamp Duty On Sale Certificate Issued By Banks/Revenue Authorities To Auction Purchaser : Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court recently held that a sale certificate issued by a bank/revenue authority to an auction purchaser following the sale of immovable property that belonged to a revenue defaulter will not attract the levy of stamp duty.A Division Bench consisting of Dr. Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice P.M. Manoj was considering a batch of writ appeals preferred by the...

Trivandrum Bar Association Moves Kerala HC To Join As Party In KHCAA's PIL Challenging Increased Court Fees

The Trivandrum Bar Association has moved the Kerala High Court seeking to implead itself as 4th additional respondent in KHCAA's plea against increased court fees.As per the affidavit sworn by the Secretary of Trivandrum Bar Association, it is stated that the increased fee is disproportionate to the prevailing inflation rate and that this is an arbitrary enhancement, which constitutes...

Kerala High Court Issues Notice To CM's Daughter, Others On BJP Leader's Plea For Further Probe Into CMRL-Exalogic Alleged Fraud Case

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (July 23) issued notice to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena T., and 11 others in a plea preferred by BJP leader Shone George seeking further investigation into the alleged fraudulent transactions between Exalogic Solutions Private Limited and Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL).The matter was listed before Justice CS Dias. In the...

UGC, KeLSA Submit Proposals Before Kerala High Court On Draft Suggestions For Amending Anti-Ragging Act, Rules

The Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) have submitted their respective suggestions on the two drafts prepared by the Working Committee, which was constituted to give suggestions for amendment to the Anti-Ragging Act and Rules.A Special Bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C. Jayachandran was considering a petition moved by...

'529 NDPS Trials Pending Due To Delay In Forensic Reports': Kerala High Court Directs State, PSC To Take Action

The Kerala High Court has noted that more than 500 cases under the NDPS Act (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) are pending before the trial courts due to delay in getting reports from the Forensic Science laboratories (FSL).The Special Bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C. Jayachandran was hearing petitions for curbing the drug menace in the State. One of them was...

Change In Company's Name Does Not Affect Benefits Obtained From Favourable Decree Awarded To It: Kerala High Court

In its recent judgement, the Kerala High Court has held that the change in name of a company, without any change in its constitution, would not affect the benefit obtained by it from a decree in its favour.Justice Easwaran S. observed,“The decree passed in favour of the erstwhile company, whose name was the subsequently changed will enure to the benefit of the company inasmuch as there is...

Kerala High Court Stays Installation Of Panchaloha Idol Of Lord Ayyappa At Sabarimala By Private Individual

The Kerala High Court has stayed a purported order of the Travancore Devaswom Board permitting installation of a Panchaloha idol of Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala Temple by a private individualThe division bench comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice Muralee Krishna S, while hearing a Suo motu case initiated on a report of the Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, stayed the order for...

Kerala High Court Takes Suo Moto Cognizance Of Students' Letter About Flooding Of Village School, Asks Collector To Take Steps

The Kerala High Court today took suo moto cognizance of a letter addressed to the Chief Justice by around 200 students of SNDP Higher Secondary School, stating that their campus located below sea-level in Kainakary Grama Panchayat in Kuttanad district of Alappuzha has been submerged in water since over a month.According to the letter, on 29th May 2025, the embankment collapsed due to heavy...

Assault On Advocate Can't Be Viewed Lightly, Impacts Fundamental Right Of Access To Justice: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has observed that any attack on an advocate for carrying out professional duties poses a direct threat to the rule of law and access to justice. It thus refused anticipatory bail to nine accused in an assault case involving a practicing advocate.Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed,“ Assaulting an Advocate for drafting a complaint cannot be viewed lightly. The...

Kerala High Court Denies Anticipatory Bail To Man Accused Of Leaking Class 10 Question Paper On YouTube

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (July 10) dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of one Zainul Abideen Karumbil, accused, along with others, of leaking school examination question papers via a YouTube channel named 'M.S. Solutions'. A bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, who heard the matter, took note of the serious nature of the allegations and observed that his...

'Prima Facie' Committed The Offence: Kerala High Court Refuses To Discharge Public Servant Accused In Alleged ₹7 Crore Loan Fraud Case

While reiterating the legal threshold for discharge under CrPC, the Kerala High Court dismissed the plea of a public servant accused of conspiracy and cheating in respect of Rs 7 crore loan fraud case seeking discharge from offences alleged against him, observing that there a "prima facie" case was made out. Justice A Badharudeen, in his judgement affirmed the trial court's decision to...