No takers for ‘unlucky’ official car no. 13 in new Kerala government

The 21-member Kerala cabinet led by Chief Minister VD Satheeshan assumed office on Monday. Portfolios are being allocated to the ministers, and so are official cars. But missing from the allotment list is official car no 13, because no ministers have reportedly opted for it due to the stigma around the number, widely considered ‘unlucky’.

Not the first time

Interestingly, this is not the first time that a UDF government did not have an official car no 13. The last time too, when the UDF was in power in Kerala, between 2011 and 2016, the ‘unlucky’ number had no takers.

LFD government had car no 13

On the contrary, during the two terms of the LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan, there was no stigma around car no 13, and in 2016, the then state Finance Minister Thomas Isaac volunteered to take it as his official vehicle. In the second Pinarayi government, Agriculture Minister P Prasad used car no 13 as his official vehicle.

During the VS Achuthanandan government in 2006, the then Education Minister and current CPI-M General Secretary, MA Baby, used car no 13 as his official vehicle.

Kerala HC's missing court no 13

It is not just ministers; even the Kerala High Court, for a long time, did not have a chamber no 13, due to the same superstition.

According to historical records, the original Kerala HC building did have a courtroom numbered 13 until 1995, when it was renamed as 12A. The anomaly came to public attention only after a PIL was filed in the HC. According to the petitioner, the superstition was based on Christian belief, according to which the number 13 was a bad omen, as Jesus Christ is believed to be the 13th guest at the 'Last Supper.'

However, the HC dismissed the PIL and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on the petitioner. But in November 2006, while hearing an appeal, the Supreme Court criticised the Kerala HC for encouraging superstitions.

"The high court is an institution. It should not be allowed to encourage this sort of superstition," the bench of then Chief Justice YK Sabharwal said. Despite the SC directive, Court No. 13 was never brought back and the problem was ‘fixed’ in the new building by naming the chambers on each floor alphabetically.

New Kerala cabinet

VD Satheesan (Congress)

Ramesh Chennithala (Congress)

K Muraleedharan (Congress)

AP Anil Kumar (Congress)

M Liju (Congress)

Bindu Krishna (Congress)

PC Vishnunadh (Congress)

Roji M John (Congress)

T Siddique (Congress)

KA Thulasi (Congress)

OJ Janeesh (Congress)

Sunny Joseph (Congress)

PK Kunhalikutty (IUML)

N Samsudheen (IUML)

PK Basheer (IUML)

VE Abdul Gafoor (IUML)

KM Shaji (IUML)

Mons Joseph (Kerala Congress)

Shibu Baby John (RSP)

CP John (CMP)

Among the ministers, 14 are first-timers, two women and two are from the Scheduled Caste community.

The Assembly elections to the 140-member House were held on April 9, with results declared on May 4. The UDF won 102 seats, with the Congress winning 63 of them. The LDF, led by CPIM, secured 35, and the BJP won 3.