Centre-State Relations in India

Centre-State Relations in India

Centre-State Relations: Dispute Resolution and Coordination

Judicial Determination of Disputes

• Article 131 provides for the judicial determination of disputes between states by vesting the Supreme Court with exclusive jurisdiction in the matter.

• Article 262 provides for the adjudication of one class of such disputes by an extrajudicial tribunal.

• Article 263 provides for the prevention of inter-State disputes by investigation and recommendation by an administrative body (i.e., Inter-State Council).

Inter-State Water Disputes

• Under Article 262, Parliament has constituted the Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between States for the waters of any inter-State river or river valley.

• Inter-State river water disputes are excluded from the jurisdiction of all Courts, including the Supreme Court.

Committees and Commissions Related to Centre-State Relations

Inter-State Council

• An Inter-State Council has been constituted for coordinating in Inter-State disputes [Ref. Art. 263(a)].

• It was constituted through a Presidential Order dated May 28, 1990, under Article 263.

• The Council consists of the Prime Minister, 6 Union Cabinet Ministers, the Chief Ministers of all States, and administrators of all UTs.

• The Sarkaria Commission recommended the constitution of a permanent Inter-State Council for coordination among States and with the Union. (Justice R.S. Sarkaria died in 2007.)

• The Inter-State Council is chaired by the Prime Minister, and it meets thrice a year.

Zonal Councils

• Five Zonal Councils have been established to discuss and advise on matters of common interest:

1. Central Zone: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh.

2. Northern Zone: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, National Capital Territory of Delhi, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

3. Western Zone: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

4. Southern Zone: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

5. Eastern Zone: Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha.

North Eastern States:

• Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Nagaland are not included in the Zonal Councils.

• Their special problems are addressed by the North Eastern Council, set up under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972. Later, Sikkim was included on 23rd Dec. 2002.

Composition of Zonal Councils

• Each Zonal Council consists of the Chief Minister and two other Ministers of each State in the Zone and the Administrator in the case of a Union Territory.

• The Union Home Minister has been nominated as the common chairman of all the Zonal Councils.

Final Thoughts

The system of Centre-State relations in India ensures coordination and dispute resolution between States and the Union. Article 131 empowers the Supreme Court to adjudicate inter-state disputes, while Article 262 provides for extra-judicial tribunals like the Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunal.

The Inter-State Council, established under Article 263, plays a vital role in preventing conflicts and promoting cooperative federalism. Zonal Councils allow States to discuss matters of common interest, while the North Eastern Council addresses the unique challenges of the region. Committees like Sarkaria and Punchhi have guided policy and structural reforms in centre-state coordination.

Overall, this framework strengthens democratic governance, fosters peaceful resolution of disputes, and ensures balanced regional development.