Constitution Section 239 — Administration of Union territories

Part VIII — THE UNION TERRITORIES

Constitutional

Summary

Unless Parliament makes a different law, every Union territory is run by the President. The President can choose to act directly or through an appointed administrator, whose title the President decides. Even though Part VI of the Constitution normally applies to states, the President can appoint a state’s Governor to also serve as the administrator of a nearby Union territory. When a Governor does this, he must carry out his duties as administrator without taking advice from his state’s Council of Ministers.

Official Text

(1) Save as otherwise provided by Parliament by law, every Union territory shall be administered by the President acting, to such extent as he thinks fit, through an administrator to be appointed by him with such designation as he may specify.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in Part VI, the President mayappoint the Governor of a State as the administrator of an adjoining Union territory, and where a Governor is so appointed, he shall exercise his functions as such administrator independently of his Council of Ministers. *