Parliament passes Bill to rename Kerala as Keralam
Parliament passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, changing the state's official name from Kerala to Keralam
The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on August 11, 2026, and the Rajya Sabha passed it by voice vote on August 12, 2026
The Bill amends the First Schedule of the Constitution to reflect the new name and updates other related legal provisions
The renaming follows a resolution passed unanimously by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, requesting the Centre to change the state's name, which the Union Cabinet subsequently approved
Article 3 — Parliament's Power to Alter the Name of a State
Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to form new states and alter the area, boundaries, or name of an existing state by ordinary law. Two procedural safeguards apply: no such Bill can be introduced in either House without the prior recommendation of the President, and if the Bill affects the boundaries or name of a state, the President must refer it to that state's Legislature to express its views within a specified period.
Key Details
- The state legislature's views are only consultative — Parliament is not bound to accept or incorporate them before passing the law
- A Bill under Article 3 requires only a simple majority in each House, since it is ordinary legislation, not a constitutional amendment
- Article 4 clarifies that laws made under Article 3 (including consequential changes to the First and Fourth Schedules) are not treated as constitutional amendments under Article 368, so they do not require the special majority or state ratification that Article 368 amendments do
The Kerala renaming followed this exact sequence — a state Assembly resolution (2024), Union Cabinet approval, a Presidential reference of the Bill to the state legislature, and passage by simple majority in both Houses, with the change taking legal effect through amendment of the First Schedule.
First Schedule of the Constitution — Where State Names Are Legally Defined
The First Schedule lists the names and territorial extent of every state and Union Territory in India; a state's legal name for all constitutional and statutory purposes is the name as it appears in this Schedule. Renaming a state therefore requires formally amending the First Schedule, which Article 3 read with Article 4 permits by ordinary law rather than a Article 368 constitutional amendment.
Key Details
- Previous renamings under the same Article 3 route include Madras to Tamil Nadu (1969), Mysore to Karnataka (1973), Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand (2007), Orissa to Odisha (2011), and the Union Territory of Pondicherry to Puducherry (Pondicherry (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006, effective October 1, 2006)
- Renaming a state is distinct from renaming a city (a state subject, done via state government notification and Union Home Ministry concurrence, without needing a First Schedule amendment) — e.g., Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai, Calcutta to Kolkata did not require Parliament to legislate under Article 3
- Kerala's original formation itself dates to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, which created the state along linguistic lines under the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission (1953-55)
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 falls in the same constitutional category as the Madras-to-Tamil Nadu or Orissa-to-Odisha renamings — a First Schedule amendment via ordinary Article 3 legislation — distinguishing it from mere city-name changes, which do not need Parliament at all.
Asymmetry Between Article 3 (State Alteration) and Article 368 (Constitutional Amendment)
Article 3 legislation and Article 368 constitutional amendments represent two different amending routes within the Constitution, distinguished by both procedure and the degree of state involvement required. This distinction is a recurring UPSC theme testing whether a given change is "ordinary law" or a "constitutional amendment."
Key Details
- Article 368 amendments affecting federal provisions (e.g., representation of states in Parliament, or the states' role in electing the President) require ratification by at least half the state legislatures, in addition to a special (two-thirds) majority in Parliament
- Article 3 changes need no state ratification and only a simple majority, because Article 4 explicitly exempts them from Article 368's procedure
- This asymmetry reflects the "quasi-federal" or Union-leaning character of the Indian Constitution: territorial reorganisation of states is treated as a Union prerogative exercised after mere consultation, not partnership, with the affected state
Despite altering something as significant as a state's name, the Kerala renaming did not require the elaborate Article 368 amendment process — only a Presidential reference for the state's views and a simple parliamentary majority, illustrating how much discretion Article 3 vests in the Union.
- Bill passed by Lok Sabha: August 11, 2026
- Bill passed by Rajya Sabha (voice vote): August 12, 2026
- Kerala Legislative Assembly resolution requesting the name change: passed unanimously on June 24, 2024
- Constitutional provision used: Article 3 (formation of new states, alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing states), read with Article 4 (exemption from Article 368 procedure)
- Schedule amended: First Schedule of the Constitution (names and territories of states/UTs)
- Kerala's original formation: under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, on linguistic lines
- Precedents for state renaming via Article 3: Madras to Tamil Nadu (1969), Mysore to Karnataka (1973), Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand (2007), Orissa to Odisha (2011)
- Majority required for an Article 3 Bill: simple majority in both Houses (not a special/two-thirds majority)