#THE HIMACHAL PRADESH AND BILASPUR (NEW STATE) ACT, 1954 

________ 

##PART I 

###PRELIMINARY 

###SECTIONS 

1. Short title and commencement. 
2. Definitions. 

##PART II 

###FORMATION OF THE NEW STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH 

3. Formation of the new State of Himachal Pradesh. 
4. Amendment of the First Schedule to the Constitution. 

##PART III 

###REPRESENTATION IN THE LEGISLATURES 

*Council of States*

5. Representation in the Council of States. 
6. Amendment of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution. 
7. Amendment of section 27A, Act 43 of 1950. 

*House of the People*

8. Representation in the House of the People. 
9. Amendment of the First Schedule, Act 43 of 1950. 
10. Parliamentary constituencies of the new State and their delimitation. 
11. Sitting members. 

*Legislative Assembly of the New State*

12. [Repealed.]. 
13. [Repealed.]. 
14. [Repealed.]. 
15. [Repealed.]. 
16. [Repealed.]. 

*Miscellaneous*

17. Amendment of section 13, Act 43 of 1950. 
18. [Repealed.]. 
19. Amendment of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) (Part C States) Order, 1951.
20. Amendment of section 9, Act 81 of 1952. 
21. Construction of Act 43 of 1950. 
22. Electoral rolls of constituencies. 
23. Power of Delimitation Commission to revise its orders. 
24. [Repealed.]. 

##PART IV 

###COURTS 

25. Court of the Judicial Commissioner for the new State. 
26. Subordinate Courts. 

##PART V 

###ADMINISTRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 

27. Existing authorities and officers to continue to function in the new State. 
28. Existing laws to continue. 
29. Power to construe laws. 
30. Existing taxes to continue. 
31. Saving of the powers of the Central Government in relation to the Bhakra-Nangal Project. 
32. Power to remove difficulties. 

THE FIRST SCHEDULE— MODIFICATION IN THE DELIMITATION OF PARLIAMENTAY 
  CONSTITUENCIES (PART C STATES) ORDER, 1951. 

THE SECOND SCHEDULE—AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED CASTES) 
  (PART C STATES ORDER,1951. 

 
 
#THE HIMACHAL PRADESH AND BILASPUR (NEW STATE) ACT, 1954 

##ACT NO. 32 OF 1954 

[28th May, 1954.]

An  Act  to  provide  for  the  formation  of  the  new  State  of  Himachal  Pradesh  by  uniting  the 
existing States of Himachal Pradesh and Bilaspur, and for matters connected therewith. 

Be it enacted by Parliament in the Fifth Year of the Republic of India as follows:— 

##PART I 

###PRELIMINARY 

1. **Short title and commencement.**—(1) This Act may be called the Himachal Pradesh and 
Bilaspur (New State) Act, 1954. 

(2) It shall come into force on such date[^1] as the Central Government may, by notification in the 
Official Gazette, appoint in this behalf. 

2. **Definitions.**—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 

  (a) “article” means an article of the Constitution; 

  (c) “existing States” mean the States specified as Bilaspur and Himachal Pradesh in Part C of 
the  First  Schedule  to  the  Constitution  immediately  before  the  commencement  of  this  Act,  and 
“existing State” means either of the existing States; 

  (d) “law”  includes  any  enactment,  ordinance,  regulation,  order,  rule,  scheme,  notification, 
bye-law or other instrument having the force of law in the whole or in any part of either of the 
existing States; 

  (e) “Order” means an order published in the Official Gazette; 

  (f) “Parliamentary constituency” has the same meaning as in the Representation of the People 
Act, 1950 (43 of 1950); 

  (g) “sitting member” in relation to either House of Parliament or in relation to the Legislature 
of  the  existing  State  of  Himachal  Pradesh,  means  a  person  who  immediately  before  the 
commencement of this Act is a member of that House or that Legislature, as the case may be. 

##PART II 

###FORMATION OF THE NEW STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH 

3. **Formation of the new State of Himachal Pradesh.**—As from the commencement of this Act 
there shall be formed by uniting the existing States a new Part C State to be known as the State of 
Himachal Pradesh (hereafter in this Act referred to as the “new State”).— 

4. **Amendment of the First Schedule to the Constitution.**—In the First Schedule to the 
Constitution, in Part C— 

  (a) under the heading “Names of States”— 

    (i) entry “3. Bilaspur” shall be omitted; and 

[^1]. 1st July, 1954, see Gazette of India, 1954, Extraordinary, Part II, s. 3. 

 
                                                           
    (ii) entries 4 to 10 shall be renumbered as entries 3 to 9 respectively; 

  (b) under the heading “Territories of States”, after the first paragraph the following paragraph 
shall be inserted, namely:— 

      d“The  territory  of  the  State  of  Himachal  Pradesh  shall  comprise  the  territories  which 
immediately  before  the  commencement  of  the  Himachal  Pradesh  and  Bilaspur  (New  State) 
Act, 1954 were comprised in the States of Bilaspur and Himachal Pradesh.” 

##PART III 

###REPRESENTATION IN THE LEGISLATURES 

*Council of States*

5. **Representation in the Council of States.**—(1) There shall be allotted one seat to the new State 
in the Council of States. 

(2) The sitting member of the Council of States representing the group of States comprising the 
existing  States  shall  on  and  from  the  commencement  of  this  Act  represent  the  new  State  in  the 
Council but the term of such sitting member shall remain unaltered, that is to say, shall expire on the 
2nd of April, 1958. 

6. **Amendment of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution.**—In  the  Fourth  Schedule  to  the 
Constitution, in the Table of Seats relating to the representatives of States specified in Part C of the 
First Schedule— 

(i) for entries 4 and 5, the entry “4. Himachal Pradesh......I” shall be substituted; and 

(ii) entries 6 to 10 shall be renumbered as entries 5 to 9 respectively. 

7. **Amendment of section 27A, Act 43 of 1950.**—In  section  27A  of  the  Representation  of  the 
People Act, 1950 (43 of 1950)— 

(i) in sub-section (5), for the word “Delhi” the words “Delhi, Himachal Pradesh” shall be 
substituted; and 

(ii) sub-section (6) shall be omitted. 

*House of the people*

8. **Representation in the House of the People.**—Until other provision is made by law, there shall 
be allotted 4 seats to the new State in the House of the People. 

9. **Amendment of the First Schedule, Act 43 of 1950.**—In  the  First  Schedule  to  the 
Representation of the People Act, 1950 (43 of 1950), in the part relating to Para C States,— 

  (i) entry 3 shall be omitted; 

  (ii) entries 4 to 12 shall be renumbered as entries 3 to 11 respectively; and 

  (iii)  for  the  figure  “3”  in  column  2  against  Himachal  Pradesh  the  figure  “4”  shall  be 
substituted. 

10. **Parliamentary constituencies of the new State and their delimitation.**—(1) The new State 
shall, until other provision is made by law, consist of the following three Parliamentary constituencies 
namely:— 

  (i) the constituency of Bilaspur comprising the existing State of Bilaspur; and 

  (ii)  the  two  constituencies  into  which  the  existing  State  of  Himachal  Pradesh  has  been 
divided. 

(2) The  Delimitation  of  Parliamentary  Constituencies  (Part  C  States)  Order,  1951,  shall,  until 
other provision is made by law, have effect subject to the amendments made in the First Schedule. 

11. **Sitting members.**—(1)  The  sitting  member  of  the  House  of  the  People  representing  the 
existing  State  of  Bilaspur  shall  on  and  from  the  commencement  of  this  Act  represent  the  Bilaspur 
constituency of the new State and shall be deemed to have been elected to the House of the People by 
that constituency. 

(2) Every sitting member of the House of the People representing a constituency of the existing 
State  of  Himachal  Pradesh  shall,  on  and  from  the  commencement  of  this  Act,  represent  the 
constituency  of  the  same  name  in  the  new  State  and  shall  be  deemed  to  have  been  elected  to  the 
House of the People by that constituency. 

*Legislative Assembly of the New State*

12. *[Legislative Assembly of the new State.]. Rep. by the Adaptation of Laws (No.3) Order*, 1956. 

13. *[Amendment of the third Schedule, Act XLIX of 1951.]. Rep.*, ibid., 

14. *[Assembly constituencies of the new State and their delimitation.]. Rep.*, ibid., 

15. *[Members of Legislative Assembly.]. Rep.*, ibid., 

16. *[Duration of the Legislative Assembly.]. Rep.*, ibid., 

*Miscellaneous*

17. **Amendment of section 13, Act 43 of 1950.**—In section 13 of the Representation of the 
People Act, 1950 (43 of 1950), in clause (b) of sub-section (1), the word “Bilaspur” shall be omitted. 

18. *[Amendment  of  section  2,  Act  49  of  1951.]  Rep.  by  the  Adaptation  of  Laws  (No.  3)  Order, 1956.*

19. **Amendment  of  the  Constitution  (Scheduled  Castes)  (Part  C  States)  Order,  1951.**—The 
Constitution (Scheduled Castes) (Part C States) Order 1951, shall be amended as shown in the Second 
Schedule. 

20. **Amendment of section 9, Act 81 of 1952.**—In  section  9  of  the  Delimitation  Commission 
Act, 1952 (81 of 1952), in sub-section (3), for the words “and the orders made under any of the said 
Acts” the words, brackets and figures “the Himachal Pradesh and Bilaspur (New State) Act, 1954 and 
the orders made under any of the said Acts” shall be substituted. 

21. **Construction of Act 43 of 1950.**—Any reference to Himachal Pradesh in the Representation 
of the People Act, 1950 (43 of 1950), as amended by this Act shall be construed as a reference 
to the new State. 

22. **Electoral rolls of constituencies.**—(1) The electoral rolls of the constituencies of the existing 
States shall, on and from the commencement of this Act, be deemed to be the electoral rolls of the 
constituencies  of  the  same  name  in  the  new  State  and  shall  continue  in  force  until  such  rolls  are 
revised, or fresh rolls are prepared, in accordance with law. 

23. **Power of Delimitation Commission to revise its orders.**—For the purpose of determination 
of the number of seats to be allotted to the new State in the House of the People in accordance with 
the  provisions  of  sub-section  (1),  and  distribution  of  those  seats  as  well  as  the  seats  allotted  to  the 
Legislative  Assembly  of  the  new  State  to  territorial  constituencies  and  delimitation  thereof  in 
accordance with the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 8 of the Delimitation Commission Act, 
1952  (81  of  1952),  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Delimitation  Commission,  notwithstanding  anything 
contained in that Act, to Amend, vary or rescind any of its final orders published under section 9 of 
that Act in so far as any such order relates to any or both of the existing States. 

24. *[Rules of procedure of the Legislative Assembly of the new State.] Rep. by the Adaptation of 
laws (No. 3) Order*, 1956. 

##PART IV 

###COURTS 

25. **Court of the Judicial Commissioner for the new State.**—As  from  the  commencement  of 
this Act,— 

  (a) the  Courts  of  the  Judicial  Commissioner  for  the  existing  States  (hereafter  in  this 
Part referred to as “the existing Courts”) shall be amalgamated and shall constitute the Court of 
the Judicial Commissioner for the new State (hereafter in this Part referred to as “the new Court”); 

  (b) the  Judicial  Commissioner  and  the  Additional  Judicial  Commissioner,  if  any,  for  the 
existing  State  of  Himachal  Pradesh  shall  be  respectively  the  Judicial  Commissioner  and  the 
Additional Judicial Commissioner for the new State; 

  (c) every  person  who  immediately  before  the  commencement  of  this  Act,  is  an  officer  or 
servant of either of the existing Courts shall be an officer or servant, as the case may be, of the 
new  Court  deemed  to  have  been  appointed  on  the  same  terms  and  conditions  of  service  (or  on 
terms  and  conditions  as  similar  thereto  as  the  changes  effected  by  this  Act  permit)  as  were 
applicable to him immediately before such commencement: 

    Provided  that  nothing  in  this  clause  shall  be  deemed  to  prevent  the  new  Court  from 
altering the designation or the duties of any office or post; 

  (d) the new Court shall have all such original, appellate and other jurisdiction as under any 
law  is  exercisable  immediately  before  the  commencement  of  this  Act  by  either  of  the  existing 
Courts in respect of any area forming part of the new State; 

  (e) the new Court shall have the same powers to admit, suspend and remove advocates, vakils 
and pleaders and to make rules with respect to advocates, vakils and pleaders in the whole of the 
new State as are immediately before the commencement of this Act, exercisable by either of the 
existing Courts: 

Provided that subject to any rules made by the new Court in exercise of the powers conferred 
by this clause, any person who immediately before the commencement of this Act is an advocate, 
vakil  or  pleader  entitled  to  practise  in  either  of  the  existing  Courts  shall  be  recognised  as  an 
advocate, vakil or pleader entitled to practise in the new Court; 

  (f) subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  Part,  the  law  in  force  immediately  before  the 
commencement of this Act with respect to the practice and procedure in the Court of the Judicial 
Commissioner  for  the  existing  State  of  Himachal  Pradesh  shall,  until  varied  or  altered  by  a 
competent authority, apply in relation to the new Court with such modifications as may be made 
by that Court; 

  (g) the Judicial Commissioners’ Courts (Declaration as High Courts) Act, 1950 (15 of 1950) 
shall apply to the new Court as if the new Court were in existence at the commencement of that 
Act;  and  any  other  law  in  force  immediately  before  the  commencement  of  this  Act  relating  to 
appeals to the Supreme Court from the Court of the Judicial Commissioner for the existing State 
of Himachal Pradesh shall, with necessary modifications, apply in relation to the new Court; 

  (h) all proceedings which immediately before the commencement of this Act are pending in 
either of the existing Courts shall by virtue of this Act stand transferred to the new Court and shall 
be continued as if they had been proceedings instituted in that Court; 

  (i) any order made by either of the existing Courts in any such proceedings as aforesaid shall 
for all purposes have effect, not only as an order of that Court, but also as an order made by the 
new Court; 

  (j) references in any law to either of the existing Courts by whatever name, shall, unless the 
context otherwise requires, be construed as references to the new Court. 

26. **Subordinate Courts.**—All Courts which immediately before the commencement of this Act 
were  exercising  lawful  powers,  authority  and  jurisdiction  under  the  superintendence  and  control  of 
either of the existing Courts in any area forming part of the new State shall, until further provision is 
made by a competent legislature or authority, continue to exercise their respective powers, authority 
and jurisdiction in that area under the superintendence and control of the new Court. 

##PART V 

###ADMINISTRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 

27. **Existing authorities and officers to continue to function in the new State.**—Save 
asotherwise  provided  in  this  Act,  all  authorities  and  all  officers,  judicial,  executive  and  ministerial, 
who immediately before the commencement of this Act were exercising lawful functions in any area 
forming part of the new State, shall, until further provision is made by a competent authority, continue 
to exercise their respective functions as far as may be, in the same manner and to the same extent as 
they were doing before such commencement. 

28. **Existing laws to continue.**—Save  as  otherwise  provided  in  this  Act,  all  the  law  in  force 
immediately  before  the  commencement  of  this  Act  in  any  area  forming  part  of  the  new  State  shall 
continue to be in force until repealed or amended by a competent legislature or authority. 

29. **Power to construe laws.**—For  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  application  in  relation  to  the 
new  State  of  any  law  made  before  the  commencement  of  this  Act,  any  Court,  tribunal  or  authority 
may, subject to any express provision of this Act, construe the law with such alterations not affecting 
the  substance  as  may  be  necessary  or  proper  to  adapt  it  to  the  matter  before  the  Court,  tribunal  or 
authority, as the case may be. 

30. **Existing taxes to continue.**—All taxes, duties, cesses and fees which immediately before the 
commencement  of  this  Act  were  being  lawfully  levied  in  either  of  the  existing  States  or  any  part 
thereof, shall continue to be levied in the same manner and to the same extent and to be applied for 
the same purposes until other provision is made by a competent legislature or authority. 

31. **Saving  of  the  powers  of  the  Central  Government  in  relation  to  the  Bhakra-Nangal 
Project.**—Nothing  in  this  Act  shall  be  deemed  to  derogate  from  the  powers  of  the  Central 
Government  to  make  such  arrangements  or  to  take  such  action  in  relation  to  the  Bhakra-Nangal 
Project  as  may,  having  due  regard  to  the  purposes  of  the  Project,  be  necessary  to  ensure  its  proper 
administration and effective implementation. 

32. **Power to remove difficulties.**—If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of 
this Act, the President may make such orders not inconsistent with the said provisions, as appears to 
him to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of removing the difficulty: 

Provided that no such power shall be exercised by the President after the expiry of one year from 
the commencement of this Act. 



 
##THE FIRST SCHEDULE 

(*See* section 10) 

###MODIFICATIONS IN THE DELIMITATION OF PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES 

###(PART C STATES) ORDER, 1951 

1. In paragraph 2, omit the words “Bilaspur and”. 

2. In Table IV, after the entry relating to Chamba-Sirmur constituency, insert the following entry, 
namely:— 

“Bilaspur                      Bilaspur                1                 ” 




##THE SECOND SCHEDULE 

(*See* section 19) 

Amendment of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) (Part C States) Order, 1951 

1. In paragraph 2, for “Parts I to X” substitute “Parts I to IX”. 

2. For paragraph 4, substitute the following, namely:— 

“4, Any reference in the Schedule to this Order,— 

  (a) to the State of Himachal Pradesh or to a district or other territorial division thereof shall be 
construed as a reference to the State of Himachal Pradesh as formed by the Himachal Pradesh and 
Bilaspur  (New  State)  Act,  1954,  or  to  a  district  or  other  territorial  division  of  that  State  as  so 
formed; and 

  (b) to any other State or to a district or other territorial division thereof shall be construed as a 
reference to that State or to that district or other territorial division as constituted on the 26th day 
of January, 1950.” 

3. In the Schedule,— 

  (a) omit Part III relating to Bilaspur; 

  (b) renumber“Parts IV to X” as “Parts III to IX” respectively; 

  (c) in Part V as so renumbered relating to Himachal Pradesh, insert the following, namely:— 

    “31. Julahe 
      32. Dumne (Bhanjre) 
      33. Chuhre 
      34. Hese (Turi) 
      35. Chhimbe (Dhobi) 
      36. Sarehde 
      37. Daule.”