Union territory legislature
Also called: Article 239A · Topic: State Government: Governor, Chief Minister, State Legislature and Union Territories · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Article 239A was added by the 14th Amendment (1962). It lets Parliament, by an ordinary law, create a legislature and a council of ministers for a Union territory. This gives people in that UT an elected government of their own. The Administrator still keeps important powers.
Example
The Government of Union Territories Act 1963 gave Puducherry a legislature with 30 elected and 3 nominated members. Jammu and Kashmir got a legislature under the 2019 Reorganisation Act and held its first election as a UT in 2024.
Don't confuse with
- Article 239AA (Delhi): Delhi's legislature comes straight from the Constitution, through the 69th Amendment (1991). It does not rest only on an Act of Parliament. Article 239AA also lists the subjects kept out of Delhi's hands: public order, police and land.