The Speaker rejects the objection regarding the use of ‘Kerala Niyamasabha’ for official purposes

Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Monday ruled that the assembly’s use of the term “Kerala Niyamasabha” in its official documents was linguistically correct and procedurally valid, rejecting a procedural objection raised by CPI legislator and former minister GR Anil.

Mr. Anil argued that the persistence in using “Kerala Niyamasabha” was wrong in the light of the August 25 central notification that changed the state’s official name from “Kerala” to “Keralam”.

Although matters relating to the Legislative Assembly Secretariat are not normally heard as procedural objections, the Speaker took up the matter as an exceptional case to provide clarification, the ruling said.

The ruling explained that while “Keralam” is used when it stands alone or as the second word of a compound expression such as Haritha Keralam or Nava Keralam, the final “anusvara” (which indicates a distinct nasal sound) is dropped when it serves as the first word of a compound expression or a prefix to a noun that follows it.

In such compound combinations, the ending “anusvara” is dropped and replaced by the vowel “a”, as seen in usages like “Keralasarkar”, “Keralasamsthanam”, “Keralappiravi” and “Kerala Niyamasabha”.

The Speaker added that the use of the term “Kerala Niyamasabha” was adopted in the Assembly documents after consultation with linguistic experts in the state.

Published – 13 Oct 2026 02:40 IST