Administration of Union Territories by the President
Official heading: “Administration of Union territories”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part VIII, Article 239, printed page 115
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1. In One Sentence
Directs that every Union Territory shall be administered by the President acting through an administrator, with the power to appoint a State Governor as an administrator.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 239 establishes the basic constitutional mechanism for governing Union Territories. Unlike States, which possess independent constitutional executive power, Union Territories are administered directly by the Union executive.
The President administers each Union Territory acting through an administrator appointed by him, designated variously as Lieutenant Governor, Chief Commissioner, or Administrator.
Clause (2) allows the President to appoint the Governor of an adjoining State as the administrator of a Union Territory. When acting as administrator of the Union Territory, the Governor acts independently of the State Council of Ministers.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
The Governor of Punjab also serves as the Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 239 defines the constitutional authority over Union Territories.
- Subject to parliamentary law: Parliament may by law modify or provide alternative administrative structures.
- Presidential agency: Administrators and Lieutenant Governors exercise delegated executive authority from the President.
- Distinction from States: Union Territories lack separate state sovereignty, remaining under Union executive superintendence.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part VIII, Article 239, printed page 115 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.