SSC
The states of the Indian Union were reorganised on a large scale in 1956, and the classification into Part A, B, C and D states was abolished, through the States Reorganisation Act and the:
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Answer: Option C ā 7th Amendment Act, 1956
Detailed Solution
The 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956, along with the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, reorganised the states of India on a large scale, mainly on a linguistic basis.
Before 1956:
The original Constitution divided the states into four categories:
- Part A states: the former governors' provinces of British India, such as Bombay, Madras and Uttar Pradesh.
- Part B states: the former princely states or unions of princely states, such as Hyderabad, Mysore and Rajasthan, headed by Rajpramukhs.
- Part C states: the former chief commissioners' provinces and some princely states, such as Delhi and Coorg.
- Part D: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Main changes by the 7th Amendment:
- It abolished the classification into Part A, B, C and D states.
- It created two categories: States and Union Territories.
- It abolished the office of the Rajpramukh.
- It provided for a common High Court for two or more states.
- It extended the jurisdiction of High Courts to Union Territories.
The States Reorganisation Commission:
It was appointed in 1953, headed by Justice Fazl Ali, with K. M. Panikkar and H. N. Kunzru as members.
It submitted its report in 1955, recommending the reorganisation of states on a linguistic basis, while also considering administrative and economic factors.
Result of reorganisation:
- After 1 November 1956, India had 14 states and 6 Union Territories.
- States such as Kerala, Karnataka (then Mysore) and Andhra Pradesh were formed or reorganised on linguistic lines.
Later reorganisations:
- The bilingual Bombay State was divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960.
- Punjab was reorganised in 1966, forming Haryana.
1 November:
Several states, such as Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh (earlier), celebrate their formation day on 1 November.
Why not the other options?
- āThe 5th, 9th and 24th Amendments dealt with other matters.
Quick tip
Remember: 7th Amendment (1956) = abolished Part A, B, C, D states; States and Union Territories; with the States Reorganisation Act (Fazl Ali Commission).
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Constitutional Amendments ā Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Constitutional Amendments, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the procedure for amending the Constitution under Article 368 and the most important amendments, such as the 1st, 7th, 42nd, 44th, 52nd, 61st, 73rd, 74th, 86th, 101st and 103rd Amendments, along with the basic structure doctrine. Exams ask what a particular amendment did: the 61st lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, the 73rd and 74th gave constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities, the 86th made education a Fundamental Right, and the 101st introduced GST. The 42nd Amendment (1976) is often called the 'mini-Constitution' because of how much it changed. Practise the constitutional amendments questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.