The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Act No. 37 of 1956) is a landmark parliamentary statute that fundamentally redrew India's internal political map. It was enacted on August 31, 1956, and came into effect on November 1, 1956, to provide for the reorganisation of the States of India and for matters connected therewith. The Act was created to solve the problem of the complex, four-part classification of states—Part A, B, C, and D—inherited from the British era, which was based on historical and administrative convenience rather than a coherent principle. The immediate catalyst was the widespread demand for states based on linguistic lines, which intensified after the death of Potti Sriramulu in 1952 following a fast for a separate Telugu-speaking state, leading to the creation of Andhra State in 1953.
The Act gave statutory effect to the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), appointed in 1953 and chaired by Fazal Ali, with H. N. Kunzru and K. M. Panikkar as members. Its key mechanism was the abolition of the Part A, B, C, and D classification, replacing it with a unified system of 14 States and 6 Union Territories. The reorganisation was primarily along linguistic lines, though the SRC also considered factors like national unity, administrative viability, and financial stability. Key provisions included the formation of new states like Kerala and Mysore (now Karnataka), and the establishment of statutory Zonal Councils as advisory bodies to promote inter-state cooperation.
The Act is inextricably connected to the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, which came into effect simultaneously and provided the necessary constitutional framework for the reorganisation. The Seventh Amendment modified constitutional provisions, including Articles 1 and 3, and the First Schedule, to reflect the new structure of States and Union Territories. While the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, itself has not been recently replaced, the power to alter state boundaries, as provided under Article 3 of the Constitution, has been used repeatedly since then to create new states like Gujarat and Maharashtra (in 1960), and Telangana (in 2014), demonstrating the Act's enduring legacy as the foundation for India's federal map.