The Home Department (Malayalam: à ´Âà ´Âà µÂà ´¯à ´¨à µÂà ´¤à ´° à ´µà ´Âà µÂà ´ªà µÂà ´ªà µÂ) is an 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, administration of civil and criminal justice, 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.
The Home Department is headed 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 Additional Chief Secretary (Home & Vigilance), a senior IAS officer, also known as Home Secretary, who handles the day-to-day administrative affairs of the department.
The Home Department is organised into 21 sections, namely A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, PS, Attestation, SC, SSA, and SSB, each handling specific administrative and functional subjects. Each section is headed by an Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or Under Secretary, depending on the nature of work. They are responsible for handling specific subjects such as police administration, prisons, fire and rescue services, prosecution, administration of civil and criminal justice, and internal security.
<br /> The hierarchy within the Secretariat is as follows: Additional Chief Secretary (or Principal Secretary), Special Secretary, Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary, followed by Section Officers and other supporting staff.
The following departments and agencies function under the administrative control of the Home Department:
All these departments are inter-linked and co-ordinated by the Home department.