States Reorganisation Act, 1956

[Act, No. 37 of 1956]

[31st August, 1956]

Preamble

An Act to provide for the reorganisation of the States of India and for matters connected therewith.

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:--

Part: I - Preliminary

Section 1 - Short title

This Act may be called The States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

Section 2 - Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--

(a) "appointed day" means the 1st day of November, 1956;

(b) "article" means an article of the Constitution;

(c) "assembly constituency", "council constituency" and "parliamentary constituency" have the same meanings as in the Representation of the People Act, 1950;

(d) "corresponding new State" means, in relation to the existing States of Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Mysore, Punjab or Rajasthan, the new State with the same name, and in relation to the existing State of Travancore-Cochin, the new State of Kerala;

(e) "corresponding State" means, in relation to the new States of Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Mysore, Punjab or Rajasthan, the existing State with the same name, and in relation to the new State of Kerala, the existing State of Travancore-Cochin;

(f) "Election Commission" means the Election Commission appointed by the President under Article 324;

(g) "existing State" means a State specified in the First Schedule to the Constitution at the commencement of this Act;

(h) "law" includes any enactment, ordinance, regulation, order, bye-law, rule, scheme, notification or other instrument having the force of law in the whole or in any part of the territory of India;

(i) "new State" means a State formed by the provisions of Pan II;

(j) "notified order" means an published in the Official Gazette;

(k) "population ratio", in relation to the successor State, of an existing State, means such ratio as the Central Government may by notified order specify to be the ratio in which the population of that existing State as ascertained at the last census is distributed territorilly among the several successor States by virtue of the provisions of Part II;

(l) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(m) "principal successor State" means--

(i) in relation to the existing State of Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras or Rajasthan the State with the same name; and

(ii) in relation to the existing States of Hyderabad, Madhya Bharat and Travancore-Cochin the States of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala, respectively;

(n) "sitting member" in relation to either House of Parliament or of the Legislature of a State means a person who, immediately before the appointed day, is a member of that House;

(o) "successor State", in relation to an existing State, means any State to which the whole or any part of the territories of that existing State is transferred by the provisions of Part II, and includes in relation to me existing State of Madras, also that State as territorially altered by the said provisions and the Union;

(p) "transferred territory" means any territory transferred from an existing State to another existing State or to a new State by the provisions of Part II;

(q) "treasury" includes as sub-treasury; and

(r) any reference to a district, taluk, tahsil or other territorial division of a State shall be construed as a reference to the area comprised within that territorial division on the 1st day of July, 1956.

Part: II - TERRIORIAL CHANGES AND FORMATION OF NEW STATES

Section 3 - Transfer of territory from Hyderabad to Andhra and alteration of name

(1) As from the appointed day, there shall be added to the State of Andhra the territories comprised in-

(a) the districts of Hyderabad, Medak, Nizamabad, Karimanagar, Warrangal, Khammam, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar.

(b) Alampur and Gadwal talukas of Raichur district and Kodangal taluk of Gulbarga district;

(c) Tandur taluk of Gulbarga district;

(d) Zahirabad taluk (except Nirma circle), Nyalkal circle of Bidar taluk and Narayankhed taluk of Bidar district.

(e) Bichkonda and Jakkal circles of Deglur taluk of Nanded district;

(f) Mudhol, Bainsa and Kuber circles of Mudhol taluk of Nanded district; and

(g) Adilabad district except Islapur circle of Boath taluk, Kinwat talok and Rajura taluk; and thereupon the said territories shall cease to form part of the existing State of Hyderabad and the State of Andhra Pradesh shall be known as the State of Andhra Pradesh.

(2) The territories referred to in clauses (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of sub-section (1) shall be included in, and become part of, Mahbubnagar, Hyderabad, Medak, Nizamabad and Adilabad districts, respectively, in the State of Andhra Pradesh.

Section 4 - Transfer of territory from Travancore-Cochin to Madras

As from the appointed day, there shall be added to the State of Madras the territories comprised in the Agastheeswaram, Thovala. Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks of Trivandrum district and the Shencottah taluk of Quilon district, and thereupon--

(a) the said territories shall cease to form part of the existing State of Travancore-Cochin;

(b) the territories comprised in the Agastheeswaram, Thovala, Kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks shall form a separate district to be known as Kanya Kumari district in the State of Madras; and

(c) the territories comprised in the Shencottah taluk shall be included in and become part of Tirunelveli district in the State of Madras.

Section 5 - Formation of Kerala State

(1) As from the appointed day, there shall be formed a new State to be known as the State of Kerala comprising the following territories, namely:-

(a) the territories of the existing State of Tranvancore-Cochin, excluding the territories transferred to the State of Madras by section 4; and

(b) the territories comprised in--

(i) Malabar district, excluding the islands of Laccadive and Minicoy, and

(ii) Kasaragod taluk of South Kanara district; and thereupon the said territories shall cease to form part of the States of Travancore-Cochin and Madras, respectively.

(2) The territories specified in clause (b) of sub-section (1) shall form a separate district to be known as Malabar district in the State of Kerala.

Section 6 - Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands2

1 [6. Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands

As from the appointed day2, there shall be formed a Union territory to be known as the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands comprising the Laccadive and Minicoy Islands in the Malabar district and the Amindivi Islands in the South Kanara district, and thereupon the said Islands shall cease to form part of the existing State of Madras.

Footnotes:

  1. The islands are now known as U.T. of Lakshadweep-

  2. That is 1-11-1956.

    Section 7 - Formation of a new Mysore State

    (1) As from the appointed day, there shall be formed a new 1[*] State to be known as the State of Mysore comprising the following territories namely:

    (a) the territories of the existing State of Mysore;

    (b) Belgaum district except Chandgad taluka and Bijapur, Dharwar and Kanara districts, in the existing State of Bombay;

    (c) Gulbarga district except Kodangal and Tandur taluks, Raichur district except Alampur and Gadwal taluks, and Bidar district except Ahmadpur, Nilanga and Udgir taluks and the portions specified in clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 3, in the existing State of Hyderabad.

    (d) South Kanara district except Kasaragod taluk and Amindivi Islands, and Kollegal taluk of Coimbatore district, in the State of Madras; and

    (e) the territories of the existing State of Coorg;and thereupon the said territories shall cease to form part of the said existing States of Mysore, Bombay, Hyderabad, Madras and Coorg, respectively.

    (2) The territory comprised in the existing State of Coorg shall form a separate district to be known as Coorg district and the said Kollegal taluk shall be included in, and become part of, Mysore district, in the new State of Mysore.

    Footnote:

  3. The word and letter "Part A" were omitted by 1 A.L.O., 1956 (1-11-956).

    Section 8 - Formation of a new Bombay State

    (1) As from the appointed day, there shall be formed a new 1[*] State to be known as the State of Bombay comprising the following territories, namely:-

    (a) the territories of the existing State of Bombay, excluding--

    (i) Bijapur, Dharwar and Kanara Districts and Belgaum district except Chandgod taluka, and

    (ii) Abu Road taluka, Banaskantha district;

    (b) Aurangabad, Parbhani, Bhir and Osmanabad districts, Ahmadpur, Nilanga and Udgir talukas of Bidar district, Nanded district (except Bichkonda and Jukkal circles of Deglur taluk and Mudhol. Bhainsaand Kuber circles of Mudhol taluk) and Islapur circle of Boath taluk, Kinwat taluk and Rajura taluk of Adilabad district, in the existing State of Hyderabad.

    (c) Buldana, Akola, Amravati, Yeotmal, Wardha, Nagpur, Bhandara and Chanda districts in the existing State of Madhya Pradesh;

    (d) the territories of the existing State of Saurashtra, and

    (e) the territories of the existing State of Kutch;and thereupon the said territories shall cease to form part of the existing States of Bombay, Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra and Kutch, respectively.

    (2) The said Chandgad taluk shall be included in, and become part of Kolhapur district, the said Ahmadpur, Nilanga and Udgir taluks shall be included in, and become part of, Osmanabad district, the said Islapur circle of Boath taluk, Kinwat taluk and Rajura taluk shall be included in, and become part of, Nanded district and the territories comprised in the existing State of Kutch shall form a separate district to be known as Kutch district, in the new State of Bombay.2

    Footnotes:

  4. The word and letter "Part A" were omitted by I A.L.O., 1956 (1-11-1956).

  5. Bombay has been divided into the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra under Act 11 of 1960 (1-5-1960).

    Section 9 - Formation of a new Madhya Pradesh State

    (1) As from the appointed day, there shall be formed a new 1[*] State to be known as State of Madhya Pradesh...

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