Extent of laws made by Parliament and by the Legislatures of States
Quick Summary (TL;DR)
Article 245 (Extent of laws made by Parliament and by the Legislatures of States): Governs federal legislative and administrative division of powers between the Union and States under Part XI.
In Simple Citizen Words
Article 245 ('Extent of laws made by Parliament and by the Legislatures of States') in Part XI (Relations between the Union and the States) structures Indian federalism. It governs territorial and subject-matter jurisdiction under the Union, State, and Concurrent Lists of the Seventh Schedule, GST concurrent powers (Art 246A), residuary powers (Art 248), inconsistency/repugnancy rules (Art 254), inter-state river water disputes (Art 262), or the Inter-State Council (Art 263). Specifically: (1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may make laws for the whole or any part of the territory of India, and the Legislature of a State may make laws for the whole or any part of the State. (2) No law made by...
Key Constitutional Provisions
Constitutional Mandate (Art. 245): Directly codifies the legal rule for 'Extent of laws made by Parliament and by the Legislatures of States' under Part XI
Structured across 2 clause(s) with clear procedural conditions
Requires transparent Parliamentary law-making and democratic accountability rather than arbitrary executive action
Exceptions & Reasonable Restrictions
Federalism is part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution (S.R. Bommai v. Union of India, 1994); neither the Union nor the States can usurp the exclusive legislative domain assigned to the other.
Why This Matters in Daily Life
Clarifies which government (Central or State) is responsible and accountable for every law, tax, and public service affecting your life.
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