Kerala
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Breaking in Kerala
Bomb threat emails hit Mumbai and Pune civic offices, and the searches find nothing
An email naming Mumbai's mayor office, a bank, a court, Amitabh Bachchan's Jalsa bungalow, Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the airport set off searches on Thursday morning. Pune Municipal Corporation received its own threat soon after. Nothing suspicious was found.
Arrogance of power: Rohit Pawar takes on Fadnavis as the NCP merger formula takes shape
Rohit Pawar accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of "arrogance" and of running a politics of blackmail over the NCP merger question. In the party, the formula under discussion gives Sharad Pawar the president post and Sunetra Pawar the working president post.
No eye on Gokul: Fadnavis says the amendment only unties a legal knot
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis defended amending the cooperative societies law, saying the government needed to end a statutory deadlock over the Gokul dairy chairmanship. Congress leader Satej Patil is going ahead with a November 9 protest, calling the move a trampling of the farmers' mandate.
Cancer bills fall from Monday: 137 drugs cut, some by 96%, ₹3,502 crore saved a year
Revised prices for 137 anti-cancer drugs take effect on Monday after the NPPA capped trade margins at 30% of the maximum retail price. Seventy-six companies have cut prices on 1,225 formulations, with 600 brands down more than half and the steepest cut at 96.45%. Estimated annual savings: ₹3,502.31 crore.
Ten thousand flagged land deals later, Telangana CID picks up four over the Dharani portal
Telangana's CID has searched the homes and offices of suspects in the alleged Dharani land records scandal and arrested at least four people, including a Bhu Bharati portal operator. The case turns on three acres in Kollur village, mutated in another man's name.
BREAKINGRs 81.5 crore in two days, and Netflix already has the papers: Suriya's Scene is on a run
Scene, the Tamil crime thriller with Suriya, Nazriya Nazim and Naslen, has grossed Rs 81.5 crore worldwide in two days. Reports say Netflix has bought the digital rights for Rs 88 crore, though no streaming date has been announced.
Latest
A power purchase splits Kerala? The home minister says no, and the LDF wants a probe
A decision to buy emergency power through General Network Access has triggered a row in Kerala after Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph said he learnt of the pivot from the media. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala denies any cabinet rift, and the LDF is demanding a judicial inquiry.
Draft voter rolls out today in 13 states and 3 UTs; one month to challenge a deletion
The Election Commission's Special Summary Revision begins on Thursday, with draft electoral rolls published in 13 states and three Union Territories and claims and objections open till 11 December. Uttar Pradesh's draft roll has been pushed to 17 November. Final rolls for all these states are due on 4 January 2027.
Governor broke procedure on PSC chief, but that won't shield the guilty: Satheesan
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said on Wednesday that former Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar's recommendation to the President to remove PSC chairman M.R. Baiju was made without following due procedure. He also made clear that the procedural lapse cannot be used to cover up irregularities inside the commission.
ED searches 11 sites linked to BLM cooperative society in Kerala, Tamil Nadu
The Enforcement Directorate searched at least 11 locations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, including Kochi, Kozhikode and Chennai, in a money-laundering investigation linked to the Bharath Lajhna Multi State Co-operative Society. The searches are tied to R. Premkumar, the society's founding member and de facto chairman. A Crime Branch probe is already running in Kerala.
Rs 2 crore for Rs 17 crore: Kerala hands a 2006 bribe charge against the CEC to Vigilance
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has asked the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to examine a fresh complaint against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who was Kerala's PWD secretary in 2006. A former Kollam contractor alleges a Rs 2 crore demand to release Rs 17 crore in approved bills, and links it to a Malaysian engineer's suicide. The claims are unproven and Kumar has not responded.
Bar licences 'granted without the minister knowing': CPI(M) asks who is running Kerala
Senior CPI(M) leader P. Rajeev alleged on Tuesday that bar licences were granted to some hotels without the knowledge of Excise Minister M. Liju or senior officials, and asked who was running the state. The row follows Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's order cancelling Rs 1 crore of repair work at Cliff House.
Two children were found drowned on September 29. Police now say the mother's friend helped
The Kozhinjampara police in Palakkad have arrested A Martin Ignatius, 36, a close friend of the mother, in connection with the deaths of her two children, aged five and three, found drowned on September 29. Police allege he played a direct role and assisted the mother, the prime accused. Investigators say leads came from her phone records and that the relationship between the two may have been a motive.
₹1.10 crore for Molineux, a ₹10 lakh record for 15-year-old Kashvi at WPL auction
Australia captain Sophie Molineux was the costliest buy at the WPL mini auction in Kochi, going to UP Warriorz for ₹1.10 crore against a base price of ₹50 lakh. Kiran Navgire went to Delhi Capitals for ₹75 lakh, and 15-year-old Uma Kashvi became the youngest player ever bought in the league.
SIR screened 10 crore voters and found 1,600 'foreigners'. Congress wants the CEC out
The Congress on Thursday called the Special Intensive Revision a conspiracy run by the PM and home minister, and demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal. Jairam Ramesh said just 1,600 suspected foreign nationals were detected across six states after nearly 10 crore people were screened. The Election Commission has defended the exercise in a 248-page affidavit to the Supreme Court.
Judge's arrest stayed in Kochi crash that killed a 55-year-old caterer
The Kerala High Court on Thursday directed police not to arrest an Additional District and Sessions Judge named as an accused in a fatal crash involving his 17-year-old son's car. Jayabalakrishnan, 55, was killed on Sunday. His daughter said the family was disappointed but would keep fighting legally.
A governor's parting letter: Arlekar asked the President to sack Kerala's entire PSC days before leaving
Days before he moved to Tamil Nadu, former Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar recommended to President Droupadi Murmu that PSC chairperson M R Baiju and the commission's members be removed. The opposition calls the move illegal under Articles 316 and 317; the BJP backs it. The assembly reconvenes on Monday.
A judge, his Mercedes and a dead scooterist: Kerala books the owner under MV Act
Kochi police on Monday arraigned an Additional District Judge as an accused under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, which holds the guardian or vehicle owner liable when a juvenile commits an offence. The judge's 17-year-old son was driving the Mercedes that killed a 55-year-old street food vendor in Cheranalloor. The Kerala High Court cleared the case against the judge.
Relief for Pinarayi and family as high court freezes the vigilance FIR in CMRL case
A Kerala High Court division bench on Monday stayed the single judge's order directing an FIR against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and son-in-law P A Mohamed Riyas, and put the VACB's FIRs and investigation on hold. The Enforcement Directorate's separate money-laundering probe is untouched.
Om Prakash Mathur reaches Thiruvananthapuram, to be sworn in as Kerala Governor on Friday
Governor-designate Om Prakash Mathur arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday night and will be sworn in at the Lok Bhavan auditorium at 12.15 pm on Friday. He succeeds Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who has moved to Tamil Nadu.
Mudslip derails express locomotive near Parassala, 10 trains held up
A mudslip near Parassala railway station in southern Kerala at 2.19 am stopped the Bilaspur-Tirunelveli Express and then derailed its locomotive. All passengers and railway staff are safe. Crews are clearing the track and more than 10 trains have been held up or delayed.
Congress wants CEC out, CPI(M) marches at night, Arunachal BJP backs SIR
The SIR row widened as the Congress demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation in Mumbai, the CPI(M) took out a night march in Kerala, and the BJP's Arunachal unit backed the revision. An audit flagged centralised control on the ECINet platform.
Vijayan's CMRL plea in Supreme Court as ED summons him for Oct 23
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's plea challenging a Kerala High Court order directing an FIR against him in the CMRL-Exalogic case. His daughter Veena T and son-in-law Muhammed Riyas have also approached the court. The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Vijayan for questioning on October 23.
Waqf board row eases as faction calls off agitation
Kerala's Waqf Board reconstitution row has eased after the minority welfare minister said a consensus was reached, and the Kanthapuram faction that felt excluded called off its agitation. The matter is still before the High Court.
Five months in, cracks show in Kerala's UDF regime as Congress leaders question Satheesan
Less than five months after the Congress-led UDF swept to power in Kerala, rifts between Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and party colleagues have spilled into the open, with Congress leaders themselves questioning his decisions.
Five months in, Kerala's UDF fights its own: CM Satheesan under fire
Less than five months after the Congress-led UDF won Kerala with 102 of 140 seats, internal rifts have surfaced, with party leaders publicly questioning Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's style of functioning and his government's stand in the CMRL-Exalogic bribery case.
Waqf board reconstitution: Sunni faction calls off protests after Kerala assures a nominee on the panel
The Kanthapuram Sunni faction called off its protests against the reconstitution of the Kerala Waqf Board after the state assured the group a nominee on the board, minister Samsudheen said. The faction had been agitating over its representation on the panel.
Waqf Board row ends as Kanthapuram faction calls off protests
Kerala's Minority Welfare Minister N. Samsudheen said a consensus had been reached with Muslim factions unhappy over the reconstituted State Waqf Board. The Kanthapuram faction will get a nominee on the board and has called off its protests. The government dissolved the old board last week.
No room for all, but no fight either: Kerala says Muslim groups settle Waqf board row
Minority Welfare Minister N. Samsudheen says a consensus has been reached among Muslim groups that had objected to their exclusion from Kerala's reconstituted Waqf board, with those left out to be considered for other committees.
ED calls Pinarayi on October 23, and Kerala's ruling Congress finds the case pointing back at itself
The ED has summoned former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to Kochi on October 23 in the CMRL-Exalogic case. The CPI(M) calls it a political vendetta, while within the Congress questions are being raised about its own government's delay in filing an FIR.
Torches and 'Azadi' chants: CPI(M) night march demands CEC's resignation
The CPI(M) in Kerala's Malappuram took out a night march on Monday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision, and expressed solidarity with the Jantar Mantar protests.
Supreme Court to hear Vijayan's plea and YSRCP's Andhra poll complaint on Oct 21
A special Supreme Court Bench will hear two pleas on Wednesday: one by former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the alleged CMRL case, and another by the YSRCP alleging that violence in Andhra Pradesh stopped its candidates from filing nominations for local body polls.
Chennithala seeks tougher NDPS Act, writes to Amit Shah for meet
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to convene a meeting of the Centre and States to overhaul the NDPS Act, saying drug seizures under 'Operation Toofan' have exposed networks reaching beyond the State and abroad.