2026 Supreme(Online)(Ker) 32152

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
Murali Purushothaman, J
C. R. Rajan – Appellant
Versus
State Of Kerala – Respondent
WP(C) NO. 34591 OF 2024

A petitioner has the right to withdraw a writ petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, and upon the filing of a 'not-pressed' memo, the court will dismiss the petition as withdrawn.

Headnote:The proceedings concern an application for withdrawal of a writ petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution. The petitioner challenged administrative actions pertaining to construction activities within a municipal area. Upon the filing of a not-pressed memo, the Court exercised its discretion to permit the withdrawal of the matter. The primary issue before the Court was whether the petitioner could be permitted to withdraw the writ petition at the admission stage. Relying on the procedural autonomy of parties to abandon their claims, the Court held that a request to not press the petition entitles the party to a dismissal. The writ petition is dismissed as not pressed.