Kasaragod was a member of the former Madras presidency of South Canara district. It then became part of Kannur kerala district. On 24 May 1984 Kasaragod was proclaimed a district. Before Kerala was created, Kasaragod was part of the former Madras presidency of South Canara district. After the reorganization of states and the establishment of Kerala in 1 November 1956, Kasaragod became a part of the Kannur district. In the year 1984 Kasaragod was proclaimed a district. Kasargod's merger with Kerala was a controversial issue as there is a significant population speaking Kannada and Tulu which are Karnataka's languages. On 25 October 1966 the Mahajan Commission was appointed by the Government of India to investigate the issue along with a similar issue that Karnataka had with Maharashtra over Belagaavi district. The commission was led by India's third Supreme Court chief justice, Meher Chand Mahajan. The commission suggested merging with Karnataka the part of the district that is north of the river Chandragiri, which includes the town of Kasargod.
