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2026 Supreme(Online)(Ker) 15888
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
Devan Ramachandran, M.B. SNEHALATHA, JJ
RAMAKRISHNA BABU – Appellant
Versus
BINDU – Respondent
OP (FC) NO. 161 OF 2026
For the Appellants/Petitioners: SRI.J.JAYAKUMAR
Timely disposal of family court applications is mandated despite overall case backlogs.
Headnote:The court addresses the petition seeking expedited handling of R.P.No.5/2025 related to O.P.No.761/2019, underlining the necessity to handle all cases promptly as per judicial declarations. The court acknowledges case backlogs yet mandates the Family Court's adherence to timely disposal, specifically directing action on the petitioner's application within a three-week period from judgment receipt. Resultantly, the petition is allowed with an explicit directive for prompt consideration of the application.
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. request for expedited hearing (Para 1 , 2) |
| 2. recognition of court backlog (Para 3) |
| 3. direction for timely action on application (Para 4) |
Devan Ramachandran, J.
The petitioner seeks that R.P.No.5/2025 in O.P.No.761/2019, pending before the learned Family Court, Attingal, be directed to be taken up and disposed of within a time frame to be fixed by this Court.
2. Sri.Jayakumar - appearing for the petitioner, submits that, though his client has moved the learned Family Court seeking expeditious disposal of the Original Petition through an Interlocutory Application, produced as Ext.P4; the Family Court has not taken adequate steps to expedite the proceedings.
3. We certainly have empathy for the petitioner; and ideally, all cases should be disposed of at the earliest. However, there is a large pendency in every Family Court and we cannot be oblivious to this.
4. That said, Ext.P4 application moved by the petitioner before the learned Family Court ― which, in our view, is in accordance with the declarations in Shiju Joy A. v. Nisha [2021 (2) KLT 607] ― requires to be disposed of without delay. In the afore circumstances, we allow this Original Petition; with a direction to the learned Family Court, Attingal, to consider Ext.P4 application in its proper perspective, leading to appropriate orders/action on it, without any avoidable delay, but not later than three weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment.
Sd/-
