President Droupadi Murmu has amended the Inter-State Council Order, 1990, to provide for the participation of Governors and Lieutenant Governors in meetings of the Inter-State Council when specified constitutional or statutory provisions are in force in their respective States or Union Territories.
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified the Inter-State Council (Amendment) Order, 2026 on September 9. The amendment was made by the President under the powers conferred by Article 263 of the Constitution and came into force with immediate effect.
Under the amended order, the existing proviso to Clause 2 of the Inter-State Council Order, 1990, has been replaced with a provision specifying four situations in which the concerned Governor or Lieutenant Governor shall be invited to attend meetings of the Council.
According to the notification, the Governor of a State shall be invited when a proclamation issued by the President under Article 356 of the Constitution is in force in that State.
In the case of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the Lieutenant Governor shall be invited when an order issued by the President under Article 239AB is in force.
For the Union Territory of Puducherry, the Lieutenant Governor shall be invited when an order issued by the President under Section 51 of the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, is in force.
Similarly, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor shall be invited when an order issued by the President under Section 73 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, is in force.
The Inter-State Council was established under Article 263 of the Constitution through the Inter-State Council Order, 1990. The original order was published in the Gazette of India on May 28, 1990, and was subsequently amended in July 1990 and December 1996. (ANI)
