Creation of local Legislatures or Council of Ministers or both for certain Union territories
included in editionWhat does this mean?
Parliament can create a legislature, a Council of Ministers or both for the Union territory covered by the current text. The enabling law need not be treated as an Article 368 amendment merely for making the stated arrangements.
Administration and special institutional arrangements for Union territories, including Delhi.
Why is this provision here?
Union territories have varied constitutional circumstances. This provides the particular institutional or exceptional arrangement described above.
Article 239A was introduced in its present subject framework by Amendment 14 (1962), after the original Constitution. The verified sources are the official edition and the linked Amendment Act and Bill statement. Original 1946–1950 Assembly debates predate this insertion and are not presented as its direct drafting reason. The explanation of function above is editorial; the Bill statement supplies the attributed legislative reasons for the later proposal.
The explanation of purpose is an editorial reading of the provision. A drafting motive is attributed only where a linked historical source supports it.
Limits, exceptions & reading carefully
Educational summary of the linked source text. Exceptions, provisos, implementing laws and applicable judgments must be read before applying it to a real case.
Read the official constitutional text
Source-page notes · may concern neighbouring Articles
1. Subs. by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, s. 17, for the heading "THE STATES IN PART C OF THE FIRST SCHEDULE" (w.e.f. 1-11-1956). 2. Subs. by s. 17, ibid., for art. 239 (w.e.f. 1-11-1956). 3. Ins. by the Constitution (Fourteenth Amendment) Act, 1962, s. 4 (w.e.f. 28-12-1962). 4. Subs. by the Goa, Daman and Diu Reorganisation Act, 1987 (18 of 1987) s. 63, for "for any of the Union territories of Goa, Daman and Diu and Pondicherry" (w.e.f. 30- 5-1987). 5. Subs. by the Pondicherry (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006 (44 of 2006), s. 4, for "Pondicherry" (w.e.f. 1-10-2006). * Article 239A has been made applicable to Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (34 of 2019) S.13 (w.e.f. 31-10-2019).
Extracted from the Legislative Department’s May 2026 edition. Page footnotes may refer to neighbouring provisions; check their markers in the PDF. Inclusion in this edition does not by itself establish commencement or judicial effect.