States Reorganisation Act, 1956

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The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines. Although additional changes to India's state boundaries have been made since 1956, it remains the most extensive change in state boundaries since the independence of India. The Act came into effect at the same time as the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, which restructured the constitutional framework for India's existing states and the requirements to pass the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 under the provisions of Part I of the Constitution of India, Article 3. The movement reached a turning point in 1952 when Potti Sreeramulu died following a 56 day hunger strike for a separate Telugu-speaking state. His martyrdom triggered widespread unrest, forcing the Indian government to create Andhra State in 1953, the first in India established on a linguistic basis. This set a precedent for other linguistic groups, leading to the appointment...

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