7th Constitutional Amendment Act, Importance, Key Details

The 7th Constitutional Amendment Act was introduced to re-organise the states systematically, replacing the earlier boundaries. It allowed the appointment of a single governor for two or more states addressing terms of service for the positions. Most importantly, it implemented the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, which redrew state boundaries largely on linguistic lines. This led to the creation of 14 states and 6 union territories. Special provisions were also introduced for Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, reflecting political and linguistic demands of the time. While the reorganisation aimed to ease administrative challenges and respect regional identities, it also sparked public unrest and inter-regional tensions, eventually requiring further amendments and adjustments in later years.

State Reorganisation Act, 1956

The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was a major legislative step by the Indian Parliament that re-define the boundaries of India’s states primarily on linguistic lines. It resulted in the creation of 14 states and 6 union territories (not 5, as originally stated). This reorganisation replaced the older system of Part A, B, C, and D states with a two-tier classification:

States, and Union Territories. The Act also abolished the post of Rajpramukh, which had been used to administer certain princely states post-independence.

Maharashtra-Gujarat Division

The reorganisation sparked significant unrest, especially in Bombay State, where Marathi-speaking and Gujarati-speaking populations demanded separate states. Protests by Marathi-speaking people turned violent, with nearly 80 people killed in police firing during the agitation. This eventually led to the bifurcation of Bombay State into Maharashtra and Gujarat in May 1960.

• Bombay (now Mumbai) became the capital of Maharashtra.
• Ahmedabad was declared the first capital of Gujarat (later replaced by Gandhinagar).

Impact on the Constitution

As a result of the States Reorganisation Act:

• The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution was revised to reflect new allocations of seats in the Rajya Sabha (Council of States).
• The constitutional classification of states and territories was simplified, making governance more uniform across the country.

Article 153

Article 153 of the Indian Constitution states that “There shall be a Governor for each State.”

However, the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act 1956 clarified that one person can be appointed as the Governor of two or more states simultaneously.

Before the amendment, the phrase “a Governor for each State” created a technical issue, it implied that each state must have a separate governor. This became impractical in cases where:

• Smaller states shared similar administrative issues
• Coordination was needed across neighboring regions
• Appointing separate governors wasn’t efficient

To fix this, the amendment inserted a clarification in Article 153 that allows the President to appoint the same individual as Governor for two or more states, if needed.

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Article 171

Originally, the maximum strength of a State’s Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) was set at 25% of the total strength of the State’s Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha). This ratio was optimum for larger states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the Assembly itself is large. But for smaller states, this idea led to a very small council, sometimes too small to function effectively.

To address this issue, the rule was amended to raise the maximum limit to one-third (33%) of the Legislative Assembly’s strength. This ensures that even smaller states can have a functionally viable Legislative Council.

Also Check: 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act

Article 258A

Article 258A was added to the Constitution of India through the 7th Amendment Act (1956). It gives state governments the power to entrust their functions to the Central Government or its officers but only with the consent of the Centre.

A state governor, acting on behalf of the state government, can assign certain state-level responsibilities to the Union Government or to its agencies. Consent from the Central Government is mandatory. This is not applied in the case of Union Territory, just for States.