Beats of an old custom fade away from Keralam’s courts

The drumbeat that once carried royal orders through village streets, and later announced the attachment of properties, will no longer be heard outside Keralam’s courts. The archaic practice is now set to pass into history.

The Kerala High Court’s Rules Committee has decided to remove the provision for the traditional “tom-tom” and “kinnam mutti vilambaram” used to inform the public about property attachment proceedings. The change follows a campaign by rights activist Boban Mattumanta, who questioned the need for a colonial-era practice at a time when notices, newspapers, television and social media can reach far more people.