Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir
Topic: Special Provisions, Scheduled and Tribal Areas · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Federalism"
Meaning
Jammu and Kashmir was the only Indian state with its own separate constitution. The state's own Constituent Assembly adopted it on 17 November 1956. It came into force on 26 January 1957. It ran side by side with the Indian Constitution, which applied to J&K only in part through Article 370. The state also had its own flag. Until 1965, the head of its government was called the "Prime Minister", and the head of the state was called the Sadar-i-Riyasat. The J&K constitution stopped having effect after the 2019 changes, when the whole Indian Constitution was applied to J&K.
Example
Under its own constitution, the J&K assembly had a six-year term, while other state assemblies have five-year terms. This was one of the features that still made the state different before 2019.
Don't confuse with
- Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order 1954: the 1954 order was a presidential order that extended parts of the Indian Constitution to J&K. The Constitution of J&K was the state's own separate document.