Chapter 5 Union and its Territory
In M. Laxmikanth’s
Indian Polity (8th Edition, 2025), Chapter 5: Union and its Territory explains the geographical scope of India and the Parliament’s power to reorganize states.
I. Articles 1 to 4 (Part I of the Constitution)
- Article 1: Describes India, that is Bharat, as a ‘Union of States’ rather than a ‘Federation of States’.
- Keyword: “Union of States”—Indicates that the Indian federation is not the result of an agreement by the states, and no state has the right to secede.
- Territory of India is wider than the Union of India. The “Territory” includes States, Union Territories, and territories that may be acquired by the Government of India at any time.
- Article 2: Empowers Parliament to admit into the Union of India, or establish, new states (refers to territories not currently part of India).
- Article 3: Authorizes Parliament to reorganize the internal boundaries of existing states. It can:
- Form a new state by separation or union of territories.
- Increase or diminish the area of any state.
- Alter the boundaries or the name of any state.
- Article 4: Declares that laws made under Articles 2 and 3 are not to be considered as amendments of the Constitution under Article 368. This means they can be passed by a simple majority.
II. Procedure for Reorganizing States (Article 3)
- Prior Recommendation: A bill for this purpose can be introduced in Parliament only with the prior recommendation of the President.
- State View: The President must refer the bill to the State Legislature concerned for expressing its views within a specified period.
- Not Binding: The Parliament is not bound by the views of the state legislature and can accept or reject them.
III. Evolution of States and Union Territories
- Integration of Princely States: At independence, 552 princely states were within India. 549 joined immediately; Hyderabad (Police Action), Junagarh (Referendum), and Kashmir (Instrument of Accession) joined later.
- Dhar Commission (1948) & JVP Committee (1948): Both rejected language as the basis for reorganization, favoring administrative convenience.
- Fazl Ali Commission (1953): Accepted language as a basis but rejected the theory of ‘one language–one state’.
- States Reorganisation Act (1956): Abolished the four-fold classification of states and created 14 states and 6 union territories.
IV. Important New States Formed (Chronology)
- Andhra Pradesh (1953): The first linguistic state (created after the death of Potti Sriramulu).
- Maharashtra and Gujarat (1960): Formed by bifurcating Bombay State.
- Nagaland (1963): Carved out of Assam.
- Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal (1966): On the recommendation of the Shah Commission.
- Sikkim (1974-75): Initially an ‘Associate State’ (35th Amendment) and later a full-fledged state (36th Amendment).
- Latest Changes (2014-2019):
- Telangana (2014): Carved out of Andhra Pradesh.
- Jammu & Kashmir (2019): The state was bifurcated into the UT of Jammu & Kashmir and the UT of Ladakh via the J&K Reorganisation Act.
- Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (2020): Merged into a single Union Territory.
V. Ceding Territory to Foreign States
- Berubari Union Case (1960): The Supreme Court held that the power of Parliament to diminish the area of a state (Article 3) does not cover ceding Indian territory to a foreign country. Ceding requires a Constitutional Amendment under Article 368.
- 100th Amendment Act (2015): Enacted to give effect to the acquiring of certain territories by India and transfer of certain other territories to Bangladesh (Land Boundary Agreement).year wise list of the state formation with amendment in the constitution
- year wise list of the state formation with amendment in the constitution
Below is a chronological list of major changes to the Indian states and Union Territories (UTs), including the constitutional amendments that facilitated these changes.
I. Major Structural Change (1956)
1956 (7th Amendment Act): Abolished the four-fold classification of states (Part A, B, C, and D) and reorganized India into 14 States and 6 Union Territories based on the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
II. State Formation & Chronological List (Post-1956)
Year
State / UT Change
Constitutional Amendment
Details
1960
Gujarat
—
Bifurcated from Bombay State; became the 15th state.
1961
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
10th Amendment
Converted from a liberated territory to a Union Territory.
1962
Goa, Daman & Diu
12th Amendment
Acquired from Portuguese; established as a Union Territory.
1962
Puducherry
14th Amendment
Formerly French establishments; established as a Union Territory.
1963
Nagaland
13th Amendment
Created as the 16th state by separating Naga Hills from Assam.
1966
Haryana
—
Created as the 17th state from Punjab.
1971
Himachal Pradesh
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 18th state.
1972
Manipur
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 19th state.
1972
Tripura
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 20th state.
1972
Meghalaya
22nd Amendment
Initially an autonomous state (1969), then became the 21st full state.
1975
Sikkim
35th & 36th
35th made it an “Associate State”; 36th made it the 22nd full state.
1987
Mizoram
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 23rd state.
1987
Arunachal Pradesh
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 24th state.
1987
Goa
—
Separated from Daman & Diu to become the 25th state.
2000
Chhattisgarh
—
Carved out of Madhya Pradesh (26th state).
2000
Uttarakhand
—
Carved out of Uttar Pradesh (27th state).
2000
Jharkhand
—
Carved out of Bihar (28th state).
2014
Telangana
—
Bifurcated from Andhra Pradesh (29th state at the time).
2019
J&K
and Ladakh
—
State of J&K reconstituted into two Union Territories.
2020
DNH
and DD
—
Merged Dadra & Nagar Haveli
and Daman & Diu
into one UT.
III. Notable Name Changes
1969: Madras
renamed to Tamil Nadu.
1973: Mysore
renamed to Karnataka.
1973: Laccadive
, Minicoy
, and Amindivi Islands
renamed to Lakshadweep.
2006: Pondicherry
renamed to Puducherry.
2007: Uttaranchal
renamed to Uttarakhand.
2011: Orissa
renamed to Odisha.
Below is a chronological list of major changes to the Indian states and Union Territories (UTs), including the constitutional amendments that facilitated these changes.
I. Major Structural Change (1956)
1956 (7th Amendment Act): Abolished the four-fold classification of states (Part A, B, C, and D) and reorganized India into 14 States and 6 Union Territories based on the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
II. State Formation & Chronological List (Post-1956)
Year
State / UT Change
Constitutional Amendment
Details
1960
Gujarat
—
Bifurcated from Bombay State; became the 15th state.
1961
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
10th Amendment
Converted from a liberated territory to a Union Territory.
1962
Goa, Daman & Diu
12th Amendment
Acquired from Portuguese; established as a Union Territory.
1962
Puducherry
14th Amendment
Formerly French establishments; established as a Union Territory.
1963
Nagaland
13th Amendment
Created as the 16th state by separating Naga Hills from Assam.
1966
Haryana
—
Created as the 17th state from Punjab.
1971
Himachal Pradesh
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 18th state.
1972
Manipur
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 19th state.
1972
Tripura
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 20th state.
1972
Meghalaya
22nd Amendment
Initially an autonomous state (1969), then became the 21st full state.
1975
Sikkim
35th & 36th
35th made it an “Associate State”; 36th made it the 22nd full state.
1987
Mizoram
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 23rd state.
1987
Arunachal Pradesh
—
Elevated from Union Territory to the 24th state.
1987
Goa
—
Separated from Daman & Diu to become the 25th state.
2000
Chhattisgarh
—
Carved out of Madhya Pradesh (26th state).
2000
Uttarakhand
—
Carved out of Uttar Pradesh (27th state).
2000
Jharkhand
—
Carved out of Bihar (28th state).
2014
Telangana
—
Bifurcated from Andhra Pradesh (29th state at the time).
2019
J&K
and Ladakh
—
State of J&K reconstituted into two Union Territories.
2020
DNH
and DD
—
Merged Dadra & Nagar Haveli
and Daman & Diu
into one UT.
III. Notable Name Changes
1969: Madras
renamed to Tamil Nadu.
1973: Mysore
renamed to Karnataka.
1973: Laccadive
, Minicoy
, and Amindivi Islands
renamed to Lakshadweep.
2006: Pondicherry
renamed to Puducherry.
2007: Uttaranchal
renamed to Uttarakhand.
2011: Orissa
renamed to Odisha.
