Kerala

New Delhi, Jan 13 (PTI) Three ships of the Russian Navy have arrived on a two-day goodwill visit to Kochi, the Indian Navy said on Thursday.

"During the visit, various professional interactions are planned between the Russian Navy and Indian Navy," the statement said.

The three Russian ships -- missile cruiser Varyag, destroyer Admiral Tribuz and tanker Boris Butoma -- will be departing Kochi on Friday, it mentioned.

New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) With a court in Kerala on Friday acquitting a bishop in the rape case of a nun, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma has said the woman should approach the high court against the judgement.

An additional district and sessions court acquitted Roman Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the charges of raping the nun in a convent in the southern state.

Kottayam (Ker), Jan 10 (PTI) A court here on Monday concluded hearing and reserved its verdict in the case of alleged rape of a nun by Bishop Franco Mulakkal.

The Additional Sessions Court is likely to pronounce the judgment on January 14. Trial in the case had started in November 2019.

The rape case against the Bishop was registered by police in Kottayam district in 2018.

Kochi, Dec 21 (PTI) The Prime Minister is the leader of the nation and not of a political party and citizens "need not be ashamed" to carry a vaccination certificate with his photograph and "morale boosting message", the Kerala High Court said on Tuesday and dismissed a plea seeking removal of PM's photo from the COVID-19 immunisation certificates.

Alappuzha, Dec 19 (PTI) Kerala's coastal Alappuzha district was rocked by back-to-back killings of two party leaders, the first belonging to the SDPI and the second to the BJP, leading to clamping of prohibitory order by police on Sunday.

Following the killing of an SDPI state secretary, a BJP leader was hacked to death subsequently in 12 hours and prohibitory order under CrPC section 144 was imposed in the entire Alappuzha district on Sunday, district officials said.

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 11 (PTI) Malayalam film director and Sangh Parivar fellow traveller Ali Akbar has announced that he and his wife were giving up Islam in protest against a section of social media users allegedly indulging in jubilation over the tragic death of Chief Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and his wife in a helicopter crash.

He made the announcement in a video posted on social media on Friday.

"I am not a Muslim from today onwards. I am an Indian," the film maker said in it.

Pathanamthitta (Ker), Dec 3 (PTI) Kerala police on Friday arrested four people, including a RSS worker, among the five accused in the murder case of a CPI(M) local secretary at Peringara near here.

P B Sandeep Kumar, who is also a former panchayat member, was stabbed to death here on Thursday night.

Police have arrested prime accused Jishnu Chathankari (23), a RSS worker, Pramod (23), Nandu (24) and Mohammed Faisal (22).

Another accused, Abhi, is absconding, police added.

Kochi, Nov 22 (PTI) A plea was moved in the Kerala High Court on Monday to seek the opinion of the Thantri (chief priest) of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala with regard to propriety of using 'halal' jaggery to prepare prasadam like 'aravana' and 'appam' and the steps for remedying the situation.

Kochi, Nov 9 (PTI) Liquor shops with long queues outside are a source of "extreme nuisance" and "great vexation" for people living or working close to such outlets, the Kerala High Court said on Tuesday and added that ordinary citizens who are not drinkers should be spared this "anti-social" scenario.

Justice Devan Ramachandran said the court was not looking to set up a five-star facility for drinkers, but it was concerned that "liquor shops still cause great vexation to people, especially women and children, in areas they are located".