Inter-State Relations is a constitutional concept and a set of mechanisms designed to ensure administrative harmony, legal uniformity, and cooperative federalism among the states and the Union in India. The concept is rooted in the need to maintain national integration and prevent state boundaries from hindering socio-economic cohesion in a federal structure.
The framework for these relations is primarily established in Part XI and Part XII of the Constitution of India, which were adopted in 1950. The provisions were created to solve the problem of potential jurisdictional conflicts and to ensure that legal rights established in one state would be recognized nationwide, a necessity modeled on the "Full Faith and Credit" clause in the US Constitution.
The mechanism works through three key constitutional provisions:
- Full Faith and Credit Clause: Article 261(1) mandates that "Full faith and credit shall be given throughout the territory of India to public acts, records and judicial proceedings of the Union and of every State". This ensures that official documents and court orders, such as final judgments passed by civil courts, are enforceable anywhere in India, as specified in Article 261(3).
- Inter-State Water Disputes: Article 262(1) empowers Parliament to provide by law for the adjudication of any dispute regarding the use, distribution, or control of waters of an inter-State river or river valley. Crucially, Article 262(2) allows Parliament to legislate that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction over such disputes. Parliament used this power to enact the Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
- Coordination: Article 263 empowers the President to establish an Inter-State Council (ISC) if it appears that public interest would be served. The ISC, which was first constituted in 1990 by a Presidential Order following the recommendation of the Sarkaria Commission in 1988, is chaired by the Prime Minister and serves as a forum to inquire into and advise on disputes between states and discuss subjects of common interest.
The concept connects to other related provisions, such as Article 131, which grants the Supreme Court original jurisdiction in disputes between the Union and states or between two or more states. It also connects to Articles 301 to 307 in Part XIII, which guarantee the freedom of inter-State trade, commerce, and intercourse throughout India. A recent change is the proposed Inter-State River Water Disputes Amendment Bill, 2019, which seeks to replace the existing multiple tribunals with a single, permanent central tribunal and fix a strict timeline for adjudication.