Civet odour forces Kerala High Court to adjourn hearings

Proceedings before the bench headed by the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court were adjourned on Tuesday after only urgent matters were taken up, when a foul odour was detected in the courtroom.

Palm civets had reportedly urinated on the ceiling and air-conditioning ducts, causing the stench. At the start of the morning session, the Chief Justice informed lawyers that only urgent cases would be heard.

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Court officials later clarified that routine matters had been postponed, with priority given only to pressing cases. The hearing was suspended to allow cleaning of the ceiling and ducts, which had allegedly developed the foul odour.

Forest department personnel had earlier captured one palm civet from the ceiling. However, officials suspect that more of the animals may still be present on the premises, given the High Court’s proximity to the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary.