Kerala High Court warns Chief Secretary Biswanath Sinha of contempt proceedings over clerical posts in district judiciary

The Kerala High Court has cautioned Chief Secretary Biswanath Sinha, who previously held the position of Additional Chief Secretary in the Home Ministry, that he could face contempt of court proceedings if the State government does not create 28 clerical posts in the district judiciary by September 9. The court is currently evaluating a petition filed by the Kerala Civil Judicial Staff Organisation (KCJSO), a group representing administrative staff in the civil wing of the district judiciary.

The KCJSO is seeking action against Sinha for failing to comply with a court order from 2016 that demanded the appointment of a work study team to assess infrastructure deficiencies in subordinate courts across Kerala. In 2019, the State government established an Organisation and Method Works Study Committee in response to this court directive.

However, the KCJSO argued in its recent petition that no additional clerical posts were created to address the identified deficiencies. The High Court's administrative department subsequently urged the State to create 80 interim posts, which the government pledged to do by the beginning of January 2026. As of now, 29 posts have been created, with the remaining 51 scheduled to be sanctioned by the end of March 2026.

The contempt petition alleges that no progress has been made in creating these clerical positions within the district judiciary, and the issue remains unresolved at various levels of the State government.