Union Cabinet approves change of name of Kerala to Keralam: Sources
New Delhi (PTI): The Union Cabinet is understood to have approved on Tuesday the Kerala government's proposal to change the name of the state to Keralam, sources privy to the development said.
The move came ahead of the Kerala assembly elections expected to be held in April-May.
The Kerala Assembly on June 24, 2024, had unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to officially change the state's name to Keralam.
Following the assembly resolution, the Union cabinet, in a meeting held on Tuesday, is believed to have approved the state's name change from Kerala to Keralam, sources said.
It was the first cabinet meeting held at the recently inaugurated Seva Teerth, the new PMO building.
The Kerala Assembly had passed the resolution for the second time because the Ministry of Home Affairs, which reviewed the first resolution, suggested some technical changes.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had moved the resolution, wanted the union government to change the southern state's name from Kerala to Keralam in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Moving the resolution, the chief minister had said the state was called 'Keralam' in Malayalam and that the demand to form a united Kerala for the Malayalam-speaking communities had strongly emerged since the time of the national freedom struggle.
But the name of the state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution, he had said.
This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as Keralam under Article 3 of the Constitution and have it renamed as Keralam in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, Vijayan had said.
The House had passed a similar unanimous resolution in August 2023 and submitted it to the Centre, but the MHA suggested some technical changes in it.
STORY | Union Cabinet approves change of name of Kerala to Keralam: Sources
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 24, 2026
The Union Cabinet is understood to have approved on Tuesday the Kerala government's proposal to change the name of the state to Keralam, sources privy to the development said.
The move came ahead of the… pic.twitter.com/Brr6JwarDJ
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
