The Southern Zonal Council is a statutory body established under Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, and is not a constitutional body. It was created as part of the scheme for the reorganization of states to foster cooperation and emotional integration among states, and to arrest the growth of acute regionalism and linguism. The Council comprises the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and the Union Territory of Puducherry, with its headquarters in Chennai.
The mechanism for the Council's operation is outlined in Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. It functions as an advisory body that discusses matters of common interest to the member states and the Central Government. Key areas of discussion include economic and social planning, inter-state border disputes, linguistic minorities, inter-state transport, and water sharing. The Union Home Minister serves as the common Chairman for all Zonal Councils, while the Chief Ministers of the member states rotate annually to serve as Vice-Chairman.
The Zonal Councils connect directly to the concept of cooperative federalism, providing an institutional platform for the Centre and States to collaborate. While the Councils' resolutions are recommendatory and lack executive power, their role has recently evolved from mere discussion forums into "engines of cooperation". Since 2014, the number of meetings has increased, and a high percentage of issues, such as 83%, have been resolved, indicating a shift towards a more actionable platform for dispute resolution and coordination. The North-Eastern states are not part of the five Zonal Councils but have a separate body, the North Eastern Council, established under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972.