Report No. 249

1. Reorganisation of States/transfer of territories/alteration of boundaries

Each reorganisation law has provisions to amend Schedule I of the Constitution, which establishes the territories of each State. Schedule I, however, does not specify the territories which form part of a particular State. It instead refers to the relevant State reorganisation act where the territories are detailed.

For instance, to describe the territories forming part of the State of Maharashtra, the Schedule mentions - 'The territories specified in sub-section (1) of section 8 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.'. Since the State reorganisation acts are referred to in Schedule I of the Constitution the provisions relating to the formation of new States and specifying the boundaries of that new State cannot be repealed in the laws listed above.