The Kerala Cabinet on January 18 (Thursday) resolved to set up a special court to adjudicate disputes relating to personal cheques, cashier’s cheques, money orders, certificates of deposit, promissory notes and traveller’s cheques.
The government will set up the Special (Negotiable Instruments Act) Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kollam.
A massive backlog of such cases prompted the Cabinet to set up a special court for speedy trials. Moreover, the Cabinet reportedly felt that a magistrate court to arbitrate such financial disputes exclusively would help the administration’s ease of business policy.
The Cabinet has nominated former Additional Director General of Police B. Sandhya as member secretary of the Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority (KRERA).
The government also cleared a proposal to give a remission of sentence to first offenders who have served at least 10 years in prison.
Relief to blast victims’ kin
The Cabinet allowed an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh each for the bereaved families of three victims of the Kalamassery bomb blasts who died while under treatment.
It also fixed ₹10 lakh as compensation for forest-dwellers who die from wasp and wild bee attacks. The Cabinet said victims of such attacks who live outside the forests would receive ₹2 lakh as compensation.
The Cabinet rejected a remission of sentence plea submitted by a person convicted of raping and murdering a differently abled women in his care.
The Cabinet appointed E.J. Gordon as senior government pleader in the High Court. It also appointed Ajit Vishwanathan, Binoy Davies and Tony Augustine as government lawyers in the High Court.
