Kerala High Court Scraps Colonial-Era Property Attachment Drumbeat Custom
· India · The Hindu, Indian Express
The Kerala High Court’s Rules Committee has formally removed the provision for traditional drum-beating and metal-plate tapping used to announce property attachment proceedings. This archaic practice, which originated during the era of princely rule and continued under British colonial law, was used to notify the public of court-ordered property seizures. The decision follows a campaign by rights activist Boban Mattumanta, who argued that modern communication methods like television, newspapers, and social media have rendered the practice obsolete. Records obtained under the Right to Information Act revealed that the Palakkad District Court, Sub Court, and Munsiff Court collected ₹56,600 in "tom-tom charges" between January and October 2022. The court previously increased these charges from ₹15 to ₹100 in 2016.
Why it matters
The move ends a centuries-old, costly, and largely redundant legal procedure in Kerala, modernizing court communication methods to align with contemporary digital standards.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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