New Delhi — President Droupadi Murmu signed an amendment to the Inter-State Council Order, 1990, on September 9. The change allows Lieutenant Governors of Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, and Puducherry to attend council meetings if President’s Rule is imposed in their territories. The Ministry of Home Affairs published the notification on Friday.
The original 1990 order, issued under Prime Minister V.P. Singh, included a proviso for governors attending meetings when Article 356 was in force in their states. That clause also referenced the then-J&K state’s Section 92 order. Since 2019, J&K became a Union Territory, rendering parts of the old provision obsolete. The 2026 amendment replaces that single proviso with four distinct clauses.
The new rules specify exactly which legal triggers allow an LG to sit in the council. For Puducherry, it’s an order under Section 51 of the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963. For J&K, it’s a Presidential order under Section 73 of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019. For Delhi, it invokes Article 239A of the Constitution. In each case, the LG is “invited to attend,” not automatically seated.
This isn’t just bureaucratic housekeeping. It defines who speaks for a UT when its elected government is suspended. President’s Rule, invoked under constitutional failure, strips local leadership of executive power. The council—chaired by the PM and comprising CMs and six Cabinet ministers—becomes a rare forum where UT administration can directly engage with state heads. NewPARA The amendment closes a legal gap created by J&K’s 2019 reorganization. Before that, J&K’s governor had a defined role in the council. Now, with no governor, only an LG, the old text left ambiguity. The MHA’s move ensures continuity. Whether this mechanism will ever be tested in practice remains uncertain, but the rulebook is now clear.