President's Rule
Different Legal Basis for States vs Union Territories
"President's rule" is a colloquial term covering several distinct constitutional/statutory mechanisms for central takeover when the ordinary constitutional machinery of a territory fails. The specific provision invoked depends on whether the unit is a full state, a UT with a legislature, or Delhi, which has a unique constitutional status.
- States: Article 356 — President's Rule on failure of constitutional machinery, based on a Governor's report or otherwise; subject to Parliamentary approval and outer limits, and to judicial review per S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994)
- Puducherry: Section 51 of the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 — the President may suspend the Act's operation on the Administrator's report; this is a statutory (not constitutional) provision, since Puducherry's legislature exists by ordinary law, not the Constitution
- Jammu and Kashmir: Section 73 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 — parallel provision for the J&K Union Territory, since Article 356 does not apply to UTs; the President may suspend the Act on the Lieutenant Governor's report
- Delhi (NCT): Article 239AB, inserted by the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 — allows the President to suspend Article 239AA (Delhi's special status provision) or any law made under it, on a report from the Lieutenant Governor, when the administration cannot be carried on per Article 239AA
● Tracked since February 03, 2026 · last seen September 18, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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