SSC CGL Polity · Indian Constitution — Making, Foundation and Amendments
Centre-State Relations
How the Constitution divides law-making between the Union and the States, which Article settles a clash, and the councils and commissions that manage the relationship.
Why this matters
Twenty-eight questions in the bank, and 23 of them come from the 2025 shifts: Centre-State relations was the big new topic of 2025 Polity questions on the Constitution. Most are two-statement questions that swap one detail (President for Parliament, binding for advisory, State for Union), so learn each Article with its exact actor and effect.
Concept 1 of 2: The three Lists and the Articles on a clash
Definition
The basics:
- Article 1: 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States'; its territory is the States and Union Territories of the First Schedule. The word 'federal' appears nowhere, and the system has a bias towards the Centre.
- The Seventh Schedule holds the Union, State and Concurrent Lists (Article 246). Articles 245 to 255 cover legislative relations.
- Subjects in no List are residuary, and Parliament makes laws on them (Art 248).
- A few entries: criminal law is in the Concurrent List; agriculture and trade within a State are in the State List.
When laws collide:
- Union List against State List: the Union List prevails.
- Art 254, Concurrent List: the Union law prevails, unless a State law was reserved for the President and got his assent; then it prevails in that State, until Parliament passes a fresh law.
- Art 252: a law Parliament makes at the request of two or more States applies only to those States and any that adopt it later.
- Art 255: a law is not invalid just because a required recommendation was missing, if assent was given.
- Art 256 and 257: the Union may give directions to States, and a State must not obstruct the Union's executive power.
| Subject | List |
|---|---|
| Criminal law | Concurrent |
| Education (since 1976) | Concurrent |
| Agriculture | State |
| Trade and commerce within a State | State |
| Matters in no List (residuary) | Union (Parliament)Q |
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 1 · Indian Constitution — Making, Foundation and Amendments · Centre-State Relations
Conflict on the Concurrent List: Union wins by default
Article 252 laws bind only the asking States
Concept 2 of 2: Councils, commissions and water disputes
Definition
The bodies, in time order:
- States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali), set up in December 1953; it led to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, which also created the five Zonal Councils.
- Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State relations, set up in 1983, reported in 1988.
- Inter-State Council: Article 263 lets the President set it up; it was set up in 1990 after the Sarkaria Commission recommended it. It is chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Chief Ministers and six Union Cabinet ministers. It can inquire into disputes, but its advice is recommendatory, not binding, and it cannot enforce anything.
- Punchhi Commission on Centre-State relations, set up in 2007.
Water disputes (Art 262): Parliament may set up tribunals for inter-State river disputes and bar the Supreme Court from them.
Article 370: in August 2019 it was made inoperative by Presidential Orders under Article 370(3), not by an amendment under Article 368.
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 2 · Indian Constitution — Making, Foundation and Amendments · Centre-State Relations
The President sets up the Council, not Parliament
Advice, not orders
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (2)
The three Lists and the Articles on a clash5 rows
| Subject | List |
|---|---|
| Criminal law | Concurrent |
| Education (since 1976) | Concurrent |
| Agriculture | State |
| Trade and commerce within a State | State |
| Matters in no List (residuary) | Union (Parliament)Q |
Watch out for (4)
- Conflict on the Concurrent List: Union wins by default→ The three Lists and the Articles on a clash
- Article 252 laws bind only the asking States→ The three Lists and the Articles on a clash
- The President sets up the Council, not Parliament→ Councils, commissions and water disputes
- Advice, not orders→ Councils, commissions and water disputes
Test yourself on Indian Constitution — Making, Foundation and Amendments
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.