Under which provision may the President appoint the Governor of a State as the administrator of an adjoining Union Territory?

Article 239(2) provides that the President may appoint the Governor of a State as the administrator of an adjoining Union Territory; the Governor then acts as administrator independently of his or her Council of Ministers.

Administration of Union Territories:

• Article 239(1) provides that every Union Territory shall be administered by the President, acting through an administrator appointed by him or her, with such designation as he or she may specify.
• The administrator may be called a Lieutenant Governor, a Chief Commissioner or simply an Administrator.
• For example, Delhi, Puducherry and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have Lieutenant Governors, while Lakshadweep has an Administrator.

Example of Article 239(2):

The Governor of Punjab has long served as the Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, which is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

Important point:

When the Governor acts as the administrator of a Union Territory, he or she does not act on the advice of the State Council of Ministers, but as an agent of the President.

Other provisions for Union Territories:

• Article 239A allowed Parliament to create local legislatures or councils of ministers for certain Union Territories.
• Article 239AA (added by the 69th Amendment, 1991) gives special provisions for Delhi, including an elected Legislative Assembly and a Council of Ministers.
• Article 240 gives the President power to make regulations for the peace, progress and good government of certain Union Territories, such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
• Article 241 deals with High Courts for Union Territories.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Article 239AA deals with Delhi; Article 240 with the President's power to make regulations; Article 241 with High Courts for Union Territories.