KOCHI: Justice may be blind, but on Tuesday it was the nose that ruled at the Chief Justice’s bench of the Kerala High Court. Proceedings before the bench had to be cut short when a foul odour drifting through the courtroom was traced to an unusual culprit, palm civets.

At the start of the morning session, the Chief Justice informed lawyers that only urgent cases would be heard. Court officers later clarified that routine matters had been adjourned to other dates, with priority given only to pressing cases.

The hearing was suspended to allow cleaning of the courtroom ceiling and air-conditioning ducts, which had allegedly developed a foul odour. The smell reportedly resulted from palm civets urinating in the ceiling and ducts.

Forest personnel had earlier managed to capture one palm civet from the ceiling. However, given the High Court’s proximity to the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary, a known haven for wildlife, officials suspect that more of the animals may still be present on the premises.