Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday quashed the State Government’s orders restructuring police personnel associations and abolishing the Kerala Police Officers Association (KPOA), holding that the move infringed the association’s constitutional rights.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas allowed petitions challenging the government orders and quashed the impugned orders. The court observed that the order abolishing the KPOA and interfering with its membership, without consulting its members, amounted to an intrusion into the rights guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(c) and 33 of the Constitution. It also held that the action was contrary to the association’s bylaws and legally invalid.

The court further quashed the orders constituting ad hoc committees to administer the associations.

The High Court had earlier stayed the operation of the government order dated July 27, 2026, by which the State Government approved the reorganisation of police associations based on the recommendation of the State Police Chief.

According to the petitions, the Kerala Police Association was established in 1979 in accordance with the recommendations of the National Police Commission. It represents Civil Police Officers, Police Constables, Senior Civil Police Officers, Head Constables and Havildars.

The petitioners said three separate police associations had been functioning independently for nearly five decades to represent different ranks in the police force.

The government order proposed to reconstitute the Kerala Police Association by bringing Grade Assistant Sub Inspectors, Assistant Sub Inspectors and Grade Sub Inspectors under its fold, while abolishing the Kerala Police Officers Association.

It also proposed to distribute the assets, bank accounts, deposits and other rights of the abolished association between the Kerala Police Association and the Kerala Police Senior Officers Association in a 60:40 ratio. The elected committees of the associations were also to be frozen.

The order further proposed the formation of ad hoc committees at the State and district levels to administer the associations and directed that elections to the newly reorganised associations be held on or before September 30, 2026.
(With LiveLaw inputs.)