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Lesson 8 of 8 · Static General Knowledge: Symbols, Firsts, Awards, Sports and Organisations

States and Union Territories: Formation, Capitals, High Courts and Borders

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Constitutional basis

Article 1 declares that India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States, and the First Schedule lists the states and union territories. Under Article 3 Parliament can form a new state, change boundaries or rename a state by an ordinary law; the bill needs the President's recommendation and must be referred to the affected state legislature for its views, which are not binding. Article 2 lets Parliament admit into the Union, or establish, new states. Sikkim became an associate state by the 35th Amendment (1974) and a full state of the Union by the 36th Amendment (1975). Union territories are administered by the President through an administrator under Article 239; Puducherry has a legislature under Article 239A, and Delhi became the National Capital Territory with a legislature under Article 239AA, inserted by the 69th Amendment in 1991.

The 1956 reorganisation

In 1950 the states were grouped into Part A, B, C and D categories. After Potti Sriramulu died in December 1952 while fasting for a Telugu state, Andhra State was formed on 1 October 1953, the first state created on a linguistic basis. The States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali as chairman, with K.M. Panikkar and H.N. Kunzru) reported in 1955, and the States Reorganisation Act and the 7th Amendment, effective from 1 November 1956, abolished the four categories and created 14 states and 6 union territories. Kerala, Mysore (now Karnataka), Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in their new form date from 1 November 1956.

Later new states

Bombay State was divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat on 1 May 1960. Nagaland became a state on 1 December 1963. The Punjab reorganisation of 1 November 1966 created Haryana, made Chandigarh a union territory and the shared capital, and moved hill areas to Himachal Pradesh, which became a state on 25 January 1971. Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya became states on 21 January 1972, Sikkim on 16 May 1975, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh on 20 February 1987, and Goa on 30 May 1987. In 2000 Chhattisgarh (1 November), Uttarakhand (9 November) and Jharkhand (15 November, Birsa Munda's birth anniversary) were carved out of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Telangana was formed from Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014.

The 2019 changes and renamings

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 turned the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories from 31 October 2019: Jammu and Kashmir, with a legislature, and Ladakh, without one. On 26 January 2020 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were merged into one union territory, which left India with 28 states and 8 union territories as of 2020. Names have changed too: Madras State became Tamil Nadu (1969), Mysore became Karnataka (1973), the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands became Lakshadweep (1973), Pondicherry became Puducherry (2006), Uttaranchal became Uttarakhand (2007) and Orissa became Odisha (2011).

Capitals worth noting

Chandigarh is the capital of both Punjab and Haryana. Jammu and Kashmir has Srinagar as its summer and Jammu as its winter capital. Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Dispur (Assam), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima (Nagaland), Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Agartala (Tripura) and Gangtok (Sikkim) are capitals students often mix up. Kavaratti is the capital of Lakshadweep and Daman of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Under the 2014 Act Hyderabad was to serve as the common capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for up to 10 years, and Maharashtra holds a winter session of its legislature at Nagpur.

High courts

Article 214 provides a High Court for each state, and Article 231 lets Parliament set up a common High Court for two or more states and union territories. The oldest are Calcutta (1 July 1862), Bombay and Madras (both August 1862), set up under the Indian High Courts Act, 1861; Allahabad followed in 1866. Several sit away from the state capital: Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh, with a bench at Lucknow), Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Jodhpur (Rajasthan, with a bench at Jaipur), Cuttack (Odisha), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Nainital (Uttarakhand), Ernakulam in Kochi (Kerala) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat). Shared jurisdictions: Bombay covers Maharashtra, Goa and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; Calcutta covers the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Madras covers Puducherry; Kerala covers Lakshadweep; Punjab and Haryana, at Chandigarh, covers both states and Chandigarh; Gauhati covers Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh; and Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh share one High Court. Delhi got its own High Court in 1966.

Borders and classic facts

Uttar Pradesh touches the most states, 8 (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar), besides Delhi and Nepal. Assam borders 7 states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal. Bangladesh shares India's longest land border (about 4,096 km), followed by China and Pakistan. West Bengal borders 3 countries (Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan), as do Sikkim (Nepal, Bhutan and China) and Arunachal Pradesh (Bhutan, China and Myanmar). 9 states have a coastline, from Gujarat round to West Bengal, and the Tropic of Cancer passes through 8 states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram. Telangana, like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, is landlocked.

Key facts

Article 1: India, that is Bharat, a Union of States; Article 3: Parliament forms new states or alters boundaries by ordinary law; Article 239AA: Delhi, inserted by the 69th Amendment (1991).
Andhra State 1 October 1953 (after Potti Sriramulu's fast); States Reorganisation Act: 14 states and 6 UTs from 1 November 1956; Commission chaired by Fazl Ali.
Maharashtra and Gujarat 1 May 1960; Nagaland 1963; Haryana 1966; Himachal Pradesh 1971; Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya 1972; Sikkim 1975; Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa 1987.
2000: Chhattisgarh 1 November, Uttarakhand 9 November, Jharkhand 15 November; Telangana 2 June 2014; UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh 31 October 2019.
Renamed: Madras State to Tamil Nadu 1969; Mysore to Karnataka 1973; Pondicherry to Puducherry 2006; Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand 2007; Orissa to Odisha 2011.
High Courts away from the capital: Allahabad (UP), Jabalpur (MP), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Cuttack (Odisha), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Nainital (Uttarakhand), Ernakulam (Kerala).
Shared High Courts: Bombay for Goa and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; Calcutta for Andaman and Nicobar; Madras for Puducherry; Kerala for Lakshadweep; Gauhati for Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh.
Oldest High Courts: Calcutta, Bombay and Madras (1862), under the Indian High Courts Act, 1861; Delhi High Court 1966.
Uttar Pradesh borders 8 states plus Delhi; Assam borders 7 states; the Tropic of Cancer crosses 8 states; Bangladesh shares India's longest land border.

Quick revision

Art 1 Union of States, Art 3 new states by ordinary law; Andhra State 1 Oct 1953; SRC Fazl Ali; 1 Nov 1956: 14 states, 6 UTs; Maharashtra, Gujarat 1960; Nagaland 1963; Haryana 1966; HP 1971; Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya 1972; Sikkim 1975; Mizoram, Arunachal, Goa 1987; Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand 2000; Telangana 2 June 2014; J&K and Ladakh UTs 31 Oct 2019; Calcutta HC 1862 oldest; UP borders 8 states; Tropic of Cancer 8 states.

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