Who was the chairman of the States Reorganisation Commission whose report led to the Act of 1956?
- A.Mehr Chand Mahajan
- B.Fazl Ali
- C.K. M. Panikkar
- D.H. N. Kunzru
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Fazl Ali. The commission appointed in 1953 had Fazl Ali as chairman, with K. M. Panikkar and Hriday Nath Kunzru as members, and its report of 1955 was the basis of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which redrew the map into states and union territories on broadly linguistic lines. Option A is wrong because Mehr Chand Mahajan, a former Chief Justice of India, headed the later commission of 1966 on the Maharashtra and Karnataka boundary; confusing the two commissions is the standard mistake in this question. Option C is wrong because K. M. Panikkar was a member of the commission, not its chairman. Option D is wrong for the same reason, as H. N. Kunzru was the other member. Keep the pairs apart: Fazl Ali for reorganisation, Mahajan for the Belagavi question.
Read the full article: Inter-State Border Disputes of India: Articles, Cases
Practice Questions
View allWhich Article of the Constitution empowers Parliament to alter the boundaries of a state?
- A.Article 1
- B.Article 3
- C.Article 19
- D.Article 169
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It allows Parliament by law to form a new state, increase or diminish the area of any state, alter its boundaries and change its name, by a simple majority; the Bill needs the President's recommendation, and the President must refer it to the legislature of the state affected for its…
Read the full explanation →The Mahajan Commission was appointed to examine the border dispute between which two states?
- A.Assam and Nagaland
- B.Maharashtra and Karnataka
- C.Odisha and Andhra Pradesh
- D.Punjab and Haryana
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The commission under former Chief Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan was appointed in 1966 after Maharashtra pressed its claim to Belagavi, Nippani and Karwar, areas with large Marathi-speaking populations placed in Mysore State by the reorganisation of 1956.
Read the full explanation →Belagavi is a town at the centre of a border dispute between which two states?
- A.Karnataka and Kerala
- B.Maharashtra and Karnataka
- C.Maharashtra and Telangana
- D.Goa and Karnataka
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Belagavi, earlier written Belgaum, lies in Karnataka but has a large Marathi-speaking population, and Maharashtra has claimed it along with Nippani and the Karwar area since the reorganisation of 1956; Karnataka has answered by building a second legislature complex there, the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, and by holding a winter session…
Read the full explanation →Under which Article does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction in a dispute between two states?
- A.Article 131
- B.Article 136
- C.Article 143
- D.Article 226
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Original jurisdiction means the case begins in the Supreme Court itself, and Article 131 covers disputes between the Government of India and one or more states and between two or more states, which is the route by which land boundary suits such as the Belagavi and Kotia matters reach the…
Read the full explanation →Disputes over the waters of inter-state rivers are dealt with under which Article?
- A.Article 253
- B.Article 262
- C.Article 263
- D.Article 280
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It allows Parliament to provide by law for the adjudication of disputes about the use, distribution or control of the waters of inter-state rivers and river valleys, and to bar the jurisdiction of the courts in such matters; Parliament did both through the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956…
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