Inter-State Council Rules Amended to Allow UT Lieutenant Governors During President’s Rule
 

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has approved amendments to the rules governing the Inter-State Council, enabling the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry to attend the council’s meetings whenever President’s Rule or equivalent provisions are in force in these Union Territories.
The amendment was notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 9 and was published on Friday. It modifies the provisions of the Inter-State Council Order, 1990, under which the council was originally established.
Under the existing framework introduced in May 1990, the Inter-State Council comprises the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers of all states, representatives of specified Union Territories, and six Cabinet-rank Union ministers.
A proviso added in July 1990 addressed situations in which a state comes under President’s Rule under Article 356 of the Constitution. It provided that the Governor of such a state would be invited to attend meetings of the council. The provision also covered situations in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir when an order under Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir was in effect.
The new amendment updates the rules to reflect constitutional and administrative changes that have taken place over the years, particularly after the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Following the abrogation of Article 370, the former state was bifurcated into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
According to the amended provisions, the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry will be invited to attend Inter-State Council meetings whenever an order under Section 51 of the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 is in force.
Similarly, the amendment states that the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir will be inviteto participate in the council’s meetings whenever an order issued by the President under Section 73 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 is in operation in the Union Territory.
The revised rules also specifically provide for the participation of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi whenever an order under Article 239AB of the Constitution is in force.
President’s Rule is imposed when there is a failure of the constitutional machinery in a state or Union Territory, resulting in governance being carried out under the authority of the Centre.
With these changes, the Inter-State Council’s rules now formally provide for the participation of Lieutenant Governors of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry during periods of constitutional emergency, while retaining the existing provisions that allow state governors to attend council meetings when President’s Rule is imposed under Article 356.
The amendment is aimed at ensuring representation of Union Territories with legislative assemblies in the Inter-State Council during periods when their elected governments are not functioning under normal constitutional arrangements.
Inter-State Council Rules Amended to Allow Delhi, J&K and Puducherry L-Gs During President’s Rule
President Droupadi Murmu has approved amendments to the Inter-State Council rules, allowing the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry to attend council meetings when President’s Rule or equivalent constitutional provisions are in force.