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High Court of Kerala issues notices to Congress MLAs Sajeev Joseph and Rajan J Pallan
The has issued notices to Congress MLAs Sajeev Joseph and Rajan J. Pallan in separate election petitions challenging their victories in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections. Justice Easwaran S. dealt with the petition against Joseph, while Justice Murali Purushothaman handled the delayed petition against Pallan.
A nomination under the scanner
The petition in v. and Ors. (El. Pet. No. 1 of 2026) was filed by Kerala Congress (M) candidate . It names Joseph, the sitting Irikkur MLA, as the first respondent, along with Sreenath Pathmanaban, P.V. Joseph Parikkappallil, M.J. Mathew and Amal K.T. The central allegation is that Joseph's nomination papers were defective.
The connected case, Joshi v. Rajan J. Pallan (El. Pet. No. 11/2026, Filing No.), challenges Pallan's victory from Thrissur.
Preserving every paper and pixel
When the Kunnappally petition was listed on , the court directed the District Election Officer to preserve the electoral papers. The list includes nomination papers filed by candidates along with their affidavits; copies of affidavits published under ; original video footage of the Returning Officer's , or copies certified under ; and the list of recognised political parties supplied to the Returning Officer by the Chief Electoral Officer.
The direction is significant because a challenge depends on what was filed, and what happened during scrutiny, at the time of the election.
A delayed plea, and notice before numbering
In the Pallan matter, the court noted that the was filed belatedly. It observed that notice was necessary before numbering the petition, allowing the respondent to be heard on the delay question before the petition is formally taken on file.
"Registry to number the "
The order of is brief and procedural. It reads:
"
is overruled vide separate order passed today (
). Registry to number the
. List on
."
The court did not enter into the merits of the ground at this stage. Instead, it cleared the initial and placed the petition on the board for further proceedings.
What happens next
With notice now issued, the respondents can file their objections, and the court will examine whether the survives the of the . The ensures that the records — including the scrutiny footage — remain available if the court needs to assess whether Joseph's nomination was improperly accepted and whether that materially affected the result.
The orders mark the beginning of a to the two Assembly results, with the focus now shifting to the validity of the nomination process and the .
