The Kerala High Court was on Wednesday (August 5) informed by the State that it had not yet filed the chargesheet in the case relating to the alleged murder of a 1.5 year toddler on May 29, 2026 in Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram.

The child died allegedly due to torture inflicted on him by his stepfather.

When the matter came up today, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. was informed that chargesheet has not been filed since the forensic report is still awaited and investigation is still progressing.

The Court then adjourned the matter to September 9 and directed the investigating officer to file a progress report on the investigation. It also took on record the affidavit filed by the Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development department of the Government of Kerala as well as the last progress report filed by the investigating officer.

The Court was considering a suo motu public interest litigation that was registered on the basis of a letter written by Justice Devan Ramachandran pointing out systemic failures. In the letter, Justice Ramachandran had requested for creating an effective mechanism with the cooperation of machineries including the police, hospitals, child protection officers, welfare officers as well as the Legal Services Authorities constituted in the State.

During the last posting, the Court was informed that the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), who purportedly failed to take any steps to protect the child was terminated. It had also recorded the investigating officer's undertaking that final report would be filed within the statutory period.

Case No: WP(PIL) No. 123 of 2026

Case Title: Suo Motu v. State of Kerala and Ors.