Section 93 of the Government of India Act 1935
Topic: Emergency Provisions and President's Rule · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Section 93 of the Government of India Act 1935 dealt with a breakdown of constitutional government in a province. If a province could not be run under the Act, the Governor could take over its administration himself. This is the direct model for Article 356 (President's rule) in today's Constitution. It matters because it shows that the Union's power to take over a state was copied from a colonial tool.
Example
In 1939, Congress ministries in many provinces resigned to protest against India being dragged into the Second World War. Governors then used Section 93 widely to run those provinces themselves.
Don't confuse with
- Section 102 of the Government of India Act 1935: it let the central legislature make laws on provincial subjects during an emergency. It is a source for national emergency, not for President's rule.
- Section 45 of the Government of India Act 1935: it dealt with a breakdown at the Centre, not in a province.