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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram District Sessions Court on Wednesday postponed the anticipatory bail of Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil , who faces charges of raping a woman and forcing her to undergo an abortion, to Thursday. The hearing was held in a closed room at the request of both sides. Saying that several documents still need to be examined, the court posted the matter for further arguments on Thursday, when the verdict will also be announced. The court directed the prosecution to

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Demanding stringent action against suspended party MLA Rahul Mamkootathil , who is facing fresh sexual assault allegations from another woman, Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan on Wednesday said it is time to use the Brahmastra. Muraleedharan said that he expects quick and strong action from Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph after discussions with all party leaders. Speaking to reporters here, the Congress leader said that the decision to resign

A tourist bus carrying school students and teachers overturned at Nellappara near Thodupuzha in the wee hours of Wednesday while returning from a trip to Kodaikanal, leaving 53 people injured. The group, consisting of students and staff members from GHSS, Thonnakal, was on its way back after a two-day excursion when the accident occurred at a sharp curve near a petrol pump at Nellappara. According to preliminary information, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle around 12.45 pm, caus

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The controversial Varkala Dakshin Kashi project launched at the ancient Janardhana Swamy Temple under the Swadeshi Darshan 2.0 scheme has run into fresh trouble with the Varkala municipality slapping yet another stop memo on Tuesday demanding immediate halt of the initiative. The municipal authorities had on September 25 served the first stop memo to the tourism department over the project, which aims to improve basic facilities and enhance the overall pilgrim experience, cit

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The KSRTC Budget Tourism Cell (BTC) has successfully tapped into public enthusiasm for the Navy Day celebrations scheduled to be held in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. The BTC has received bookings for 110 chartered trips, a chunk of it from southern districts, that will bring nearly 5,000 passengers from across the state. We are overwhelmed by the demand. Bookings had to be halted due to entry and parking restrictions, said an officer with the BTC, adding that school group

KOCHI: Kerala has been witnessing a significant increase in the frequency of convective storms in the month of May prior to the onset of southwest monsoon and the border areas of Idukki and Kottayam have become hotspots of lightning impacts, says a study by the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat). The research work titled Identifying the hotspot regions of emerging triple risk due to pre-monsoon convective storms over Kerala published in

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Police have filed a chargesheet in the case related to the obstruction of a KSRTC bus, excluding Mayor Arya Rajendran and her husband, Balussery MLA Sachin Dev. The only accused named in the chargesheet is the Mayors brother, Aravind, who was driving the car involved in the incident. The development comes as Yadu, a Nemom native and former KSRTC driver, filed a fresh petition demanding that all persons named in the FIR be included as accused and that the current chargesheet b

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All eyes are now on the principal district and sessions court that will take up the anticipatory bail plea of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who has been booked for rape and coerced termination of pregnancy of his female acquaintance, on Wednesday as the verdict will have a profound bearing on the Congress party and the political career of the young legislator. The plea will be considered at a time the state police are scrambling to locate MLA, who has been evading them sin

PATHANAMTHITTA: Youth Congress worker and close associate of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, Fenni Ninan, on Tuesday dismissed the allegations raised against him in the sexual assault complaint as baseless and politically motivated. The complainant had alleged that Rahul sexually assaulted her after promising marriage and that Fenni was the person who brought her to meet him. Rejecting the claim, Fenni said he has never met the complainant and the petitioners statements were fabricated with mal

THRISSUR: BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday said that he would contest the 2026 assembly elections from Nemom constituency. He was speaking at the Meet the Press programme titled Vote Vibe of Thrissur Press Club. Nemom constituency in Thiruvananthapuram is an important one for BJP as its senior leader O Rajagopal had won the seat earlier. Currently, Minister V Sivankutty is the MLA from Nemom. Though there were reports that Rajeev was likely to contest in the assembly election, it

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Supreme Court has approved the Kerala governments request to allocate a portion of land from the Nettukaltheri Open Prison to key central institutions. The order was issued by a bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath on Tuesday. As per the verdict, 257 acres will be handed over to BrahMos Aerospace, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). Of the 257 acres approved for allocation, BrahMos Aerospace will receive about 180 acres, whi

KOZHIKODE: The Thahiyya fund collected by the Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama for the various projects to be implemented as part of its centenary celebrations crossed Rs 46 crore when the collection officially ended on Monday night. The fund was collected through an app developed by a group of young men associated with the feeder organisations of Samastha. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Samastha president Syed Muhammad Jiffiri Muthukoya Thangal said Thahiyya received overwhelm

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state governments actual fund allotment to local self-government institutions (LSGI) has seen a significant drop in recent years. The total amount sanctioned to the three-tier LSGIs steadily declined from Rs 11,400 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 9,050 crore in 2023-24. In the latest year for which actual accounts are available, 2023-24, the transfer was Rs 5,100 crore less than the Budget allocation. The core of Keralas decentralisation is a formula-based equitable devolution of

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Taking their politics to the grassroots, five former MLAs are contesting the upcoming local-body elections. And, it looks to be back to the basics for Anil Akkara, K S Sabarinadhan, E M Augusthy, R Latha Devi, and K C Rajagopalan. Taking his campaign to the Sanskrit College ward of Adat grama panchayat, in Thrissur district, Anil is no stranger to local governance. He led the panchayat as president for two successive terms from 2000 and represented the same ward in 2005. His

MALAPPURAM: In Keralas political convention, Ponmundam grama panchayat in Malappuram is an anomaly. Here, state-level allies Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) are bitter rivals. And to counter the League, Congress is once again joining hands with CPM, its political adversary in the state. Following the tie up, the Congress district leadership dissolved the Ponmundam constituency committee on Monday. Yes, this local body elections mark the return of the Sambar Munnani as its opponen

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to consider extending the December 11 deadline for submitting enumeration forms in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala by one more week, in view of the ongoing process for local body elections. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the recommendation after taking note of submissions that the local body elections in the state will take place on December 9 and 11, and

KOCHI: Despite fears of funding winter and tougher valuations, Keralas startups have made a big comeback this year. They raised $14.7 million in the first nine months of 2025 a 147 per cent surge from $6 million during the same period last year, according to Tracxns Kerala Tech Ecosystem Wrap Report . The sharp rise comes despite a drop in deal volumes, indicating deeper investor bets on select high-potential ventures, according to the report by the data intelligence platform. Keralas tech ecos

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has been actively encouraging cadaveric organ donation to help save lives. However, when it comes to identifying brain-dead patients and persuading bereaved families to donate the organs of their loved ones, the states own hospitals are trailing private transplant centres by miles. In the past five years, where private hospitals identified around 20 deceased donors a year, government hospitals across Kerala could together manage just two. Lack of coordina

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The capital city, on Wednesday, will witness the precision, power and operational preparedness of the Indian Navy as it plays host to the operational demonstration being held as part of the Navy Day celebrations. The event will be held at Shankhumukham beach in the evening. President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest. Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union and state ministers and senior bureaucrats will attend the function. The Navy Day is bein

KASARAGOD: It looked like a usual cultural event. Children performed skit and dance on stage amid applause. However, for the performers and spectators, it was an emotional moment a final farewell to something that had been a part of their lives for nearly half a century. News that the stage in their locality would be demolished for the construction of the building of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School had come as a huge shock to the residents of Kadakam in Kasaragods Karadukka villag

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Presence of Chinese naval assets in the Indian Ocean is not a threat but their lack of transparency is a matter of concern, said Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief of the Southern Naval Command. Addressing the media on the eve of the Navy Day operational demo, he said the Navy has noted Chinese search vessels and surveillance platforms conducting under-sea domain activities, and occasional presence of sub-marines in the Indian Ocean Region. The V

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Health Department has designated the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (K-SOTTO) as the sole authority for both deceased and living donor programmes in the state. By bringing all public transplant centre units underK-SOTTO, the department aims to enhance efficiency, strengthen coordination, and build greater public trust in organ donation and transplantation. A direct representative ofK-SOTTOwill now be involved in every stage of the process. A unified

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : A fresh complaint of alleged sexual assault has surfaced against suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil , a day before the principal district and sessions court is set to consider his anticipatory bail plea. The complaint has been filed by a 23-year-old woman from Bengaluru, who has written to the KPCC and senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, alleging that the Palakkad MLA assaulted her despite her repeated resistance. According to sources

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The excise team in Neyyattinkara seized 30 litres of illicit liquor that had been kept hidden among idols and photographs inside a family temple. The stash was found during inspections carried out as part of election-related enforcement. Officials said the accused, Arjunan, locally known as Potti, a resident of Punnakkad, Neyyattinkara, had been storing large quantities of liquor and supplying it to customers. The excise squad, acting on inputs, raided the premises and found

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Activist Rahul Easwar, who is currently under judicial remand, is continuing his hunger strike, his wife Deepa Rahul Easwar said on Tuesday. Deepa, who plans to visit him in jail today, said further decisions regarding the case would be taken after meeting him. According to her, Rahul refused the food and juice offered to him when he was taken to jail. He is moving forward with his fast, just like during the Sabarimala issue, she told reporters. Deepa alleged that the police

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bringing an anxious overnight search to an end, the three forest officers who went missing during a tiger census in the ParuthipallyPeppara block were found safe on Tuesday morning, officials said. They were traced near Erattumukku around 8:30 am after a search that continued through the night. Section Forest Officer Vineetha, Beat Forest Officer Rajesh and Beat Forest Assistant Rajesh R had set out on Monday morning for fieldwork as part of the tiger census. They were schedu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The BJP has intensified its attack on the Left government by placing the Masala Bond controversy alongside the Sabarimala gold scam as key themes in its election campaign. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday publicly challenged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan through posts on Facebook and X, raising pointed questions over the financial decisions linked to the Masala Bond issued by KIIFB. Chandrasekhar questioned why the state had borrowed Rs 2,100 crore from f

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Issuing a directive to the KSRTC managing director, State Human Rights Commission chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas said that it is illegal to delay the return of employees provident fund deposits remitted during their service period. The action follows a complaint that a retired employee of the Vikas Bhavan depot, who retired in May 2024, had not yet received his dues. The order states that the amount must be returned within two months. KSRTC had reportedly refused to rel

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: State Election Commissioner A Shajahan has issued a directive stating that all campaign rallies and public meetings held as part of the local body elections must follow law and order as well as the relevant legal provisions and the directions issued by the High Court and the Supreme Court. Political parties and candidates must inform the local police in advance about the venue and timing of any public meeting so that the police can make the arrangements necessary for crowd an

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The construction of breakwater as part of the Muthalapozhi harbour development project is progressing rapidly in Thiruvananthapuram. The `177-crore project, approved by the Union government under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), was launched in May this year with an aim to prevent the recurring accidents at the harbour mouth. According to the harbour engineering department, the casting of tetrapods for the breakwater is moving at a steady pace, and around 25m

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the election season in full swing, voters across the state are weighing their choices. They are scanning candidates positions on development, welfare, neighbourhood issues, and party lines. Well, this usual stuff. But now, running parallel to these familiar considerations, another trend has emerged in the campaign space: rise of the glamour and cuteness quotient. Notably, a large number of young candidates, especially women, have stepped into the contest, and social medi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vellanad panchayat - ranked the second-best in the state and 75th in the national Mission Antyodaya Rankings - is heading into the local body polls amid political friction. A traditional UDF bastion, the LDF has won here only twice (2000-05 and 2005-10), both by narrow margins, with the second term aided by the now-defunct Democratic Indira Congress (K). Calling Vellanad a protest-free panchayat, Congress leader and panchayat vice-president Vellanad Sreekantan said that the c

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sadeer Karunyam is feeling a little flustered. For a man in his 40s who runs a recording studio near Venjaramoodu, what has got his goat is the fact that his clients are pestering him to prioritise their work even if it means jumping the line. Since the local-body polls were announced, Sadeers clients are all politicians, from across the spectrum. All of them want their work completed first. Some approach me in the morning, with the instruction to have their work done by the

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as police remained unsuccessful in tracking down Rahul Mamkootathil, who has been booked for raping a woman and forcing her to terminate her pregnancy, the beleaguered legislator has filed additional pieces of evidence via his counsel in sealed covers before the principal district and sessions court, which will hear his anticipatory bail plea on Wednesday. The current set of evidence, sources said, filed on Monday contained more WhatsApp text messages and audio and video

KOCHI: A year after Dubai Holding-owned TECOM Investments formally conveyed its intention to exit the SmartCity Kochi (SCK) project, a long-standing dispute threatens to complicate the process: the Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEBL) is seeking the return of more than 100 acres it had contributed to the project. KSEBL says it acquired the land for Rs 83.2 crore between 1991 and 1997, but the state government only paid Rs 7.57 crore when it was acquired for the SmartCity IT park. With the

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With just days to go for the local body elections, the Enforcement Directorates notice to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has kicked off a political debate. Notices were also served on former finance minister and vice-chairperson of KIIFB Thomas Isaac and CEO K M Abraham alleging FEMA violation in the utilisation of funds. Opposition Leader V D Satheesan reiterated his partys stand that there was massive corruption and serious rule violations in the masala bond issue. Masala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government is once again considering the introduction of a five-day work week in all government offices. However, service organisations have reacted with caution to the plan, warning that any attempt to curtail employees rights, including leave entitlements, would be strongly opposed. The Chief Secretary has convened a virtual meeting with representatives of service organisations at 5pm on December 5 to discuss the matter. The proposal, first considered two years ag

PATHANAMTHITTA: Sabarimala hill shrine has registered a total revenue of Rs 92 crore in the first 15 days of the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season this year. This marks a 33.33% growth compared to the Rs 69 crore recorded during the corresponding period last year. A major chunk of the earnings continues to come from the sale of aravana payasam, which alone fetched Rs 47 crore. The figures till November 30 showed a 46.86% increase in revenue from aravana sales compared to Rs 32 crore during

MALAPPURAM: In Angadipuram panchayat, the dusty brown landscape of the rural road undergoes a sudden colour shift in the Aripra-Mannaramba stretch. A ribbon of flowers, fruit saplings, resting spots with benches, and childrens swings for nearly half a kilometre along the roadside have reshaped the quiet village corner into a picture-perfect evening spot. The shift in aesthetics is not a result of any government beautification project or tourism scheme, but the dedication of a night tea shop owne

KOZHIKODE: The message came at 7:45pm on a weekday. Kozhikode native Preetha Shivan, who had just returned home from work, glanced at her phone and froze. Your traffic violation fine hasnt been paid. Please settle it at once to avoid extra charges or legal action, dont wait for consequences! read the SMS. Worried she may have unknowingly violated a rule, Preetha clicked the link attached, and provided her account details. Within minutes, Rs 1,000 was debited, not by the Motor Vehicles Department

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of initiatives to achieve self reliance in the semiconductor sector, two application-specific integrated circuit (IC) chips designed by a college in Kerala have been successfully fabricated at the Union governments Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Punjab. The chips, relating to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in vehicles, were designed at IHRD Model Engineering College (MEC), Kochi. The fabricated chips were handed over to the MEC project team by Union Mini

KOCHI: The union territory of Lakshadweep is on the cusp of a major digital transformation in its maritime travel sector. The authorities have announced the upcoming launch of a sophisticated, feature-rich passenger ticket booking platform for its lifeline vessel services. Scheduled to go live on December 5, the new system aims to drastically improve the experience for both islanders and tourists by enhancing convenience, transparency, and access to tickets for travel between the islands and the

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rahul Easwar, who was arrested for allegedly insulting the modesty of the woman who had filed a rape complaint against Rahul Mamkootathil MLA, was remanded to 14 days' judicial custody by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here on Monday. The court noted that the allegation was serious in nature and since the investigation is at the nascent stage, letting Rahul out on bail would send a wrong message to the public. He was shifted to Poojappura district jail. Rahul

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The Chief Ministers official residence, Cliff House, received a bomb threat on Monday. The threat message was sent to the Chief Ministers private secretary via email. A similar threat message was also received at the South Indian Bank branch at Palayam. Police, along with bomb squads and canine units, conducted thorough inspections at both places. However, no suspicious objects were found during the searches. This follows a series of similar threats received by many places in

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police on Monday took activist Rahul Easwar to his residence at Powdikonam to recover the laptop that was used to upload social media posts, which allegedly revealed the identity of the woman who had filed a rape complaint against Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. Rahul was arrested on Sunday night on the complaint of the victim, after which he was charged under non-bailable sections. When the cops reached Rahul's residence, the latter told the media that the police want h

KOCHI: Gone are the days when the citizens could be taken for a ride by the politicians through false promises. Today, they are posing questions to the candidates to gauge who is fit to be their representative. Taking an innovative route, the residents of wards 1 to 11 of the Chellanam grama panchayat and divisions 70, 71, and 72 of Kochi Corporation have compiled a list of queries, printed them into notices, and pasted them on the walls of their houses, as well as on the gates. The aim? To gaug

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Sandeep Warrier has filed an anticipatory bail plea before the principal sessions court after the cyber police booked him on the charge of revealing the identity of the victim, who had filed a complaint of rape against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. Sandeep in his plea, said the police were politically motivated and stated that he did not reveal the image of the victim nor her identity as alleged. The marriage picture of the victim was shared a year back on Facebook,

ALAPPUZHA: Two youths were killed after a KSRTC bus collided with a motorcycle on the national highway late on Sunday night. The deceased have been identified as 25-year-old Gokul P and 25-year-old Sreenath from Thamallakkal from Thamallakkal in Haripad. The accident occurred around 11:30 pm near the Union Bank, west of the Haripad Government Hospital. According to police, the victims were returning home on their motorcycle after having dinner at a hotel when the crash happened. Both sustained s

NEW DELHI/ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Enforcement Directorate has issued a Rs 466-crore FEMA show cause notice to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, former finance minister Thomas Issac, and the CM's chief principal secretary K M Abraham in the KIIFB Masala Bond case, officials said on Monday. The notice, which does not require a personal appearance, was issued about 10-12 days ago by the federal probe agency under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). A show cause notice is issued

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday released the NDAs election manifesto for the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, promising rapid urban transformation and asserting that the state capital would be elevated to one of the top three cities in the country by 2030 in terms of development. Chandrasekhar said the NDAs central focus is the comprehensive development of the capital city. He criticised the LDF for what he termed decades of stagnation and corruption. LDF ha