Overview

• A division bench led by Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar directed the government to issue a circular within two weeks and to post the guidelines online in English and Malayalam with email IDs for public feedback.
• The court held that ensuring anti-venom availability and other core medical duties rests with government departments, not individual schools, and ordered role-specific instructions to relevant agencies.
• The September 1 working group will continue as a Joint Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary to oversee compliance, review and update the guidelines, and collaborate with legal services and NGOs as needed.
• The committee must frame SOPs, meet at least twice a year, and appoint state- and district-level nodal officers to collect data and report progress.
• The State was told to begin steps within two months to list snakebite as a notifiable disease under the Kerala Public Health Act and to expedite development of anti-venom vaccines, with the petitions disposed of pending the detailed judgment.