Kerala High Court retains name despite state's rechristening as Keralam

The Kerala High Court will continue to be known by its current name even as the state officially transitions to being called Keralam. The state government's recent directive to rename government institutions, issued following the Union government's notification of the name change, will not affect the high court's designation.

A senior judge of the court explained that the name is enshrined in the Kerala High Court Act, 1958, the legislation that established the court. Section 2 of the Act defines the High Court as the High Court of the State of Kerala. Any alteration to this name would require a formal amendment to the Act, and no such proposal is currently under consideration.

The judge further noted that the judiciary operates independently of the state government, being one of the four pillars of democracy. Consequently, administrative decisions by the state do not automatically extend to the court's nomenclature. He cited the examples of the High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and Orissa, which have retained their original names despite changes to their respective states' names.

Senior lawyer Kaleeswaram Raj echoed this view, stating that no law mandates a high court's name to change in tandem with a state's name. He reiterated that any change would require amending the parent act. However, lawyer Philip J. Vettikattu pointed out that in legal proceedings where the state is a party, it will now be referred to as Keralam.

The Kerala High Court was established on November 1, 1956, at Ernakulam, following the formation of the state under the States Reorganisation Act. It was created by merging the Travancore-Cochin State and the Malabar District of Madras State.