Pope Pius XII, by the Bull "Quo Ecclesiarum", issued on 25 July 1950, bifurcated the eparchy of Changanacherry and out of the territory covered by the then Foranes of Palai, Muttuchira, Kuravilangad, Anakkallu, and Ramapuram erected the eparchy of Palai as a suffragan of the Archeparchy of Ernakulam. Leo P. Kierkels, the Apostolic Internuncio in India, published the Bull in the St. Thomas Cathedral Palai on 4 January 1951 and installed Sebastian Vayalil as the first bishop of the new eparchy. On 22 August 1956, when the Holy See by the Ap. Const. ‘Regnum Coelorum’ raised the eparchy of Changanacherry to the status of an archeparchy and constituted the new ecclesiastical province of Changanacherry, the eparchy of Palai became one of its suffragans.
Jacob Muricken was appointed as auxiliary bishop in 2012. In 2022, he received approval from Synod of Syro-Malabar Bishops to leave the position of auxiliary bishop and live as a
hermit.
Joseph Kallarangatt is the current and third bishop of the eparchy and has held this position since 2004. As the delegate of Syro-Malabar Synod, he attended XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Family held at Rome from 4-25 October 2015. == Prelates ==