125th Anniversary of Peermade Court
Peermade Taluk Cutcherry, started during the regime of His Highness Sreemoolam Thirunal Maharaja of Travancore in the year 1893. It is presently a group of courts comprising of Peermade Judicial First Class Magistrate Court I and II and Munsiff court.
The Taluk Cutcherry was under Changanacherry revenue division and its territorial jurisdiction included present Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and part of Ernakulam revenue districts. In 1950, revenue settlements started and Taluk Cutcherry was bifurcated into Tahsil Magistrate and Tribunal with separate powers. Village Office was also established as part of Tahsil Magistrate with some judicial powers. Tahsildar was the presiding officer court. Functioning of the Tahsil Magistrate started in the present building in the year 1907. Its full fledged functioning started in the year 1914. The Tahsil Magistrate Court was bifurcated into Magistrate Court and Taluk Office in the year 1950.
The royal insignia of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, the conch, stands out majestically on the facade of the two-storeyed building framed against the big old casuarina trees with the wind playing on their lush foliage. For the passerby, the ambience of the surroundings could be a throwback to the mists of time, to the halcyon days of the British Raj. This building here, at present houses the Peermade munsif court.
Under the Travancore royal rule, it was a taluk kacheri, where the tahsildar wielded both executive and magisterial powers. It was also a court of the British model, where labour-related issues were handled — perhaps mostly to discipline workforce of the tea plantations. Not many records are available on this building’s history, apart from these sketchy bits. But it certainly was one of the two taluk kacheries in existence in the area, the other one being at Devikulam. The building was completed in Malayalam year 1,093, says a stone plaque.
The special cover issued on 29-11-2019 m( KL16/2019), the occasion of Quasquicentennial celebration i.e. 125th Anniversary features a sepia toned image of the heritage building of the Peermade court and the statue of Justice. The special pictorial cancellation is a line graphic image of the conch insignia of the Travancore Royals.