The Kerala High Court on Friday (June 19) passed an interim order directing the State and the Motor Vehicles Department to release to Keltron the amounts due for the instalment and maintenance of AI traffic camera, as part of the 'Automated Traffic Enforcement' for Safe Kerala Project.

Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A. further directed Keltron to forthwith release the amounts due to SRIT India Ltd., the contractor engaged to execute the project.

"it is ordered that the quarterly amounts due as on date shall be released by the 1st and 2nd respondent [State and MVD respectively] through the 3rd respondent [Keltron] within a period of 1 month so as to enable the 3rd respondent to release the same to the petitioner. It is directed that upon receipt of the aforesaid amount, the 3rd respondent shall forthwith release the same to the petitioner."

The interim order was passed in a plea by SRIT India Ltd., which contended that it had expended Rs. 151 crores, including a Rs. 6 crores security deposit, as well as a monthly expenditure of Rs. 40 lakhs for maintaining the cameras.

The Court had earlier this week sought the State's reply with respect to the allegation.

When the matter came up today, the senior counsel appearing for SRIT stressed upon the fact that the amounts are quantified in the tri-party contract among the Motor Vehicles department, Keltron and SRIT. It was also pointed out that payments have been stopped for no discernible reason even though there were no disputes regarding the amounts due.

He contended that the amounts were admitted by the State in a public interest litigation filed by the present Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. Further, it was submitted that the PIL was disposed of by the Division Bench recently and while the same was pending, directions were issued to the State to pay the quarterly instalments due to the petitioner and the same was done by the State. It was contended that after the PIL was disposed of, the State did not continue the payment of the instalments due saying that there are no more directions to disburse the amounts.

He, therefore, pressed for an interim ordering the release of the amounts due.

After hearing the parties, the Court opined that there is inaction on the part of the State in releasing the amounts, which it ought to have done even without directions owing to the existence of contractual liabilities. It thus passed an interim order directing the release of the amounts due as of date within a month.

The case is posted after a month for further consideration.

The petition is moved by Advocates Shyam Padman (Sr.), Sidharth G., C.M. Andrews, Laya Mary Joseph, Ashwathi Shyam, Swathy Sudhir, Shimleel Ibrahim T., and S. Anupama.

Case No: WP(C) 17963/ 2026

Case Title: SRIT India Ltd. v. State of Kerala and Ors.