Key facts

  • Article 356 is judicially reviewable after S.R. Bommai, especially when assembly majority can be tested on the floor.
  • The 44th Amendment narrowed emergency powers after the 1975 National Emergency experience.
  • Rajasthan links appear through reorganisation, Article 301 trade, GST, and President's Rule episodes.

Key Points at a Glance

  1. 1

    India is a Union of States with a federal distribution of subjects and a strong central design.

  2. 2

    Article 356 is judicially reviewable after S.R. Bommai, especially when assembly majority can be tested on the floor.

  3. 3

    The 44th Amendment narrowed emergency powers after the 1975 National Emergency experience.

  4. 4

    Rajasthan links appear through reorganisation, Article 301 trade, GST, and President's Rule episodes.

Why does India call itself a Union of States?

India calls itself a Union of States because the Constitution creates one indestructible Union in which States have constitutional status but no independent right to secede.

According to Census 2011, Rajasthan's population was 6.85 crore, or 68,548,437 persons.

Article 1 starts Union-State relations from territory: India is a Union of States, with no independent State right of secession.

Provision / case / amendment Core point
Article 1 Calls India a Union of States; the federation is constitutionally created and no State has an independent right of secession.
Article 3 Parliament may form a new State, alter boundaries, change names, or adjust areas after the President refers the proposal to the affected State legislature for its views.
State of West Bengal v. Union of India, 1963 Rejected a claim that a State has the same sovereign status as the Union.
Re Berubari Union, 1960 Cession of Indian territory to a foreign State required a constitutional amendment, not only an executive arrangement.
Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956 Reorganised Part A, Part B and Part C categories and helped consolidate the modern state structure after linguistic reorganisation.

Rajasthan Link

  • Rajasthan fits this design directly: the former princely-state unions had already moved into one Rajasthan before 1956.
  • Constitutional location: Rajasthan as a State still depends on Article 1 and the First Schedule.
  • Continuing relevance of Article 3: it remains relevant whenever Parliament adjusts State territory or names.
  • Administrative scale: a State with Rajasthan's population and border geography shows why the Union-State design is territorial before it becomes administrative or fiscal.

Federal Consultation, Not Federal Veto

  • The State legislature is heard, but Parliament makes the final law.
  • A border district, a renamed State, or an exchanged enclave is not treated as a bargain among sovereign partners.
  • It is a constitutional exercise in which democratic State opinion is part of the process, but territorial continuity and national sovereignty remain Union responsibilities.
  • That is why Union-State relations begin with territory before they move to subjects, finance, governors, or emergency powers.
  • For an exam answer, the core line is simple: States are constitutionally important units, but the Union is not a compact of sovereign States that can bargain over secession.

PREDICTED Predicted RAS Questions

Based on PYQ trends and 2026 syllabus analysis

1 MCQ Which judgment made Article 356 proclamations judicially reviewable and preferred floor testing of majority?
  1. A S.R. Bommai v. Union of India Correct answer
  2. B Re Berubari Union
  3. C Atiabari Tea Co. v. State of Assam
  4. D Union of India v. H.S. Dhillon

Explanation

S.R. Bommai is correct because it placed Article 356 proclamations under judicial review and treated Assembly floor testing as the proper way to verify majority. Berubari concerns territorial cession, Atiabari concerns Article 301 trade freedom, and H.S. Dhillon concerns residuary legislative power.