# Department of Home (Kerala)

The Home Department (Malayalam: ആഭ്യന്തര വകുപ്പ്) is a administrative department of the Government of Kerala. It plays a key role in maintenance of law and order in the state of Kerala. The department oversees the maintenance of law and order, prevention and control of crime, prosecution of criminals besides dealing with fire services and prisons administration.
The department is also responsible for the functioning of State Police, Prisons and Correctional Services, Fire and Rescue Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards. The department is also the cadre controlling authority of Indian Police Service (IPS) (Kerala Cadre) and Kerala Police Service (KPS). The Chief Minister generally serves as the departmental minister, and the Additional Chief Secretary (Home & Vigilance), an IAS officer, is the administrative head of the department. Pinarayi Vijayan is the current Home Minister of Kerala.

## Structure

The Home Department is led by the Minister for Home, who is a political appointee responsible for making policy decisions and providing strategic direction. The minister in charge of the home department is Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala. Assisting the Minister is the Home Secretary also known as the Additional Chief Secretary, a senior IAS officer, who handles the day-to-day administrative affairs of the department. The Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Vigilance) is assisted by additional secretaries, joint secretaries and deputy secretaries at the secretariat.

## Field Departments

* Kerala Police
* Kerala Fire and Rescue Services
* Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services
* Kerala Civil Defence and Homeguards
* Directorate of Prosecution
All these departments are inter-linked and co-ordinated by the Home department.

### Heads Of Departments

| Position | Department | Incumbent |
| State Police Chief, Kerala | Kerala Police | Shaik Darvesh Saheb IPS |
| Director General of Fire and Rescue Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards | Kerala Fire and Rescue Services | Sanjeeb Kumar Patjoshi IPS |
| Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services | Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services | K Padmakumar IPS |
| Director General of Prosecution | Directorate of Prosecution | Adv. TA Shaji |
| Chairman and Managing Director | Kerala Police Housing & Construction Corporation | Sanjeeb Kumar Patjoshi IPS |
| Chief Chemical Examiner | Chemical Examiners Laboratory | N.K.Renjith |

## List of Home ministers of Kerala

| No. | Portrait | Name | Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Ministry | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name | Constituency | From | To | Days in office | Party | Party | Ministry | Ref. |
| 1 | | E. M. S. Namboodiripad(Chief minister) | Nileshwaram | 5 April 1957 | 31 July 1959 | | Communist Party of India | | First Namboodiripad ministry | |
| 2 | | P. T. Chacko | Meenachil | 1960 | 1964 | | Indian National Congress | | Pattom A. Thanu Pillai ministry Sankar ministry | |
| 3 | | E. M. S. Namboodiripad (Chief minister) | Pattambi | 1967 | 1969 | | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | | Second Namboodiripad ministry | |
| 4 | | C. Achutha Menon (Chief minister) | Kottarakkara | 1969 | 1970 | | Communist Party of India | | First C. Achutha Menon ministry | |
| 5 | | K. Karunakaran | Mala | 25 September 1971 | 25 March 1977 | | Indian National Congress | | C. Achutha Menon ministry II | |
| 6 | | K. M. Mani | Pala | 25 March 1977 | 27 April 1977 | | Kerala Congress | | First Karunakaran ministry First Antony ministry | |
| 7 | | P. J. Joseph | Thodupuzha | January1978 | September 1978 | | Kerala Congress | | First Antony ministry | |
| 8 | | K. M. Mani | Pala | October1978 | July 1979 | | Kerala Congress | | P. K. Vasudevan Nair ministry | |
| 9 | | C. H. Mohammed Koya (Chief minister) | Malappuram | October 1979 | December 1979 | | Indian Union Muslim League | | Koya ministry | |
| 10 | | T. K. Ramakrishnan | | January 1980 | October 1981 | | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | | First Nayanar ministry | |
| 11 | | Oommen Chandy | Puthuppally | 1981 | 1982 | | Indian National Congress | | Second Karunakaran ministry | |
| 12 | | Vayalar Ravi | | 24 May 1982 | 24 May 1986 | | Indian National Congress | | Third Karunakaran ministry | |
| 13 | | E. K. Nayanar (Chief minister) | | 1987 | 1991 | | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | | Second Nayanar ministry | |
| 14 | | K. Karunakaran (Chief minister) | | 1991 | 1995 | | Indian National Congress | | Fourth Karunakaran ministry | |
| 15 | | A.K. Antony (Chief minister) | | 1995 | 1996 | | Indian National Congress | | Second Antony ministry | |
| 16 | | E. K. Nayanar (Chief minister) | | 1996 | 2001 | | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | | Third Nayanar ministry | |
| 17 | | A. K. Antony (Chief minister) | | 2001 | 2004 | | Indian National Congress | | Third Antony ministry | |
| 19 | | Oommen Chandy (Chief minister) | | 2004 | 2006 | | Indian National Congress | | First Chandy ministry | |
| 20 | | Kodiyeri Balakrishnan | | 18 May 2006 | 16 May 2011 | | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | | Achuthanandan ministry | |
| 21 | | Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan | | 12 April 2012 | 31 December 2013 | | Indian National Congress | | Second Chandy ministry | |
| 22 | | Ramesh Chennithala | Haripad | January 2014 | 2015 | | Indian National Congress | | Second Chandy ministry | |
| 23 | | Pinarayi Vijayan (Chief minister) | Dharmadom | 25 May 2016 | 3 May 2021 | | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | | First Vijayan ministry | |
| 23 | | Pinarayi Vijayan (Chief minister) | Dharmadom | 20 May 2021 | Incumbent | | | | Second Vijayan ministry | |