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A civil court can declare a person legally dead if they have not been heard from for seven years, based on Section 108 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. This is typically done when a legal heir files a civil suit for a declaration of presumed death to settle matters like inheritance, remarriage, or insurance.

In The Gateway Hotels v. Kochi Municipal Corporation [2025:KER:31602], the High Court of Kerala has ruled that the three-year period of limitation prescribed in the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994, will prevail over the general 12-year period provided under the Limitation Act, 1908.

The High Court of Kerala, in Margret @Thankam v. Joseph Mathew Chettupuzha [2025: KER:56880], has clarified the conditions under which Indian courts can recognize documents notarized in a foreign country.

The High Court of Kerala clarified in a judgment, in Harisankar S. v State of Kerala & Others [2025:KER:43507], that state universities cannot insist on equivalence on certificate from National Institutions, National Universities such as Indira Gandhi Open University (IGNOU) and other institutions recognized by the University Gants Commission (UGC).

The Legal Services Authorities Act,1987 (LSA Act) refers to two types of Lok Adalats: the first is a Lok Adalat constituted under Section 19 of the Act which has no adjudicatory functions or powers and which discharges purely conciliatory functions and the second is a Permanent Lok Adalat established under section 22B(1) of LSA Act to exercise jurisdiction in respect of public utility services, having both conciliatory and adjudicatory functions.

The Supreme Court (SC), in Shaurabh Kumar Tripathi v Vidhi Rawal [2025 INSC 734], states that High Courts can quash complaints filed under Section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (DV Act), in exercise of their inherent powers under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), now S.528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

The Appointing Authority need not initiate disciplinary proceedings against a civil servant. The appointing authority need not always required to initiate disciplinary proceedings against a state employee, says the Supreme Court (SC) in The State of Jharkhand & Others v Rukma Kesh Mishra [2025 INSC 412].

The construction made in contravention of the Acts / Rules would be construed as illegal and unauthorized construction, which has to be necessarily demolished and it cannot be legitimized or protected solely under the ruse of the passage of time or citing inaction of the authorities or by taking recourse to the excuse that substantial money has been spent on the said construction, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Rajendra Kumar Barjatya & Another v U P Avas Evam Vikas Parishad & Ors [2024 INSC 990].

As per the registered bye-laws of most of the Co-operative Society, the Society can sue and be sued through its Secretary, etc. Therefore, the Act and the Rules clearly envisage that the registered bye-laws should provide provisions as to who is the Officer, who can sue or be sued, in the name of the Co-operative Society concerned says Kerala High Court in J.S.Prakash v The Thiruvananthapuram Service Cooperative Bank.

A medical doctor may be held liable for medical negligence when he is not possessed with the qualification or skill or when he fails to exercise reasonable skill which he processes in giving treatment, says the Supreme Court ( SC) in Neeraj Sud & Another v Jaswinder Singh ( Minor) & Another [2024 INSC 825].

Litigants should be allowed to seek early disposal of their cases only in exceptional cases where justifiable and genuine reasons are made out before the appropriate court, says the High Court of Kerala in Prema Joy v John Britto.