Madhya Pradesh: Formation of the state

Madhya Pradesh took its present shape in stages: the British-era Central Provinces & Berar, the 1950 state of Madhya Pradesh, the reorganisation of 1 November 1956 that merged Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal into it, and the separation of Chhattisgarh in November 2000. The state portal describes present Madhya Pradesh as the 2nd largest state in the country, spread over about 308 lakh Ha.

British-era origins

• The territory was originally created as the Central Province on 2 November 1861, as a Judicial Commissioner's territory; the Judicial Commissioner's court at Nagpur was its highest court.
• It was converted into a Governor's province in 1921, which entitled it to a full High Court; financial and administrative difficulties delayed the High Court for about 15 years.
• Berar was transferred to the Central Province for administration in 1933, giving the name "Central Provinces & Berar".
• The Nagpur High Court was established for Central Provinces & Berar by Letters Patent dated 2 January 1936, issued under Section 108 of the Government of India Act, 1915.

After independence (1947-1950)

• Independence in 1947 was followed by the merger of hundreds of princely states into the Union, and the Republic of India was formed on 26 January 1950.
• In 1950, Madhya Pradesh was created from the former British Central Provinces and Berar and the princely states of Makarai and Chhattisgarh, with Nagpur as the capital.
• The new states of Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal were formed out of the Central India Agency.
• Vindhya Pradesh was established on 4 April 1948 as a Part B state; in 1950 it was changed to a Part C state (state assembly history).
• Madhya Bharat was formed in May 1948 by joining the Gwalior, Indore and Malwa princely states (state assembly history).
• The Ruler of Bhopal signed the merger agreement on 30 April 1949, and the Union Government took over the state through a Chief Commissioner on 1 June 1949. After the merger, Bhopal became a Part 'C' State of the Indian Union.

Reorganisation of 1956

• The States Reorganization Act came into force on 1 November 1956; the new state of Madhya Pradesh was constituted under Section 9 of the Act.
• Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal were merged into Madhya Pradesh.
• Some districts of the erstwhile Central Provinces and Berar went to Maharashtra, and minor adjustments were made with Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
• Bhopal became the new capital of the state.
• The four constituent units each had their own assembly; these merged into one, and the first assembly of Madhya Pradesh came into existence on 1 November 1956 (state assembly history).

High Court after 1956

• The Nagpur High Court was not abolished; by a legal fiction it became the High Court of Madhya Pradesh with its seat at Jabalpur.
• Temporary benches at Indore and Gwalior were constituted by the Chief Justice's order of 1 November 1956.
• Permanent benches at Indore and Gwalior were set up by a Presidential Notification dated 28 November 1968.

Growth in districts

• The state initially had 43 districts.
• In 1972, two large districts were bifurcated: Bhopal from Sehore and Rajnandgaon from Durg, taking the total to 45. The Bhopal district was carved out on 2 October 1972.
• In 1998, 16 more districts were carved out of larger ones, taking the number to 61.
• West Nimar, which came into existence with the state on 1 November 1956, was divided into Khargone and Barwani on 25 May 1998.
• Dindori became a new district on 22 May 1998, after bifurcation from Mandla.
• Alirajpur, earlier part of Jhabua district, was declared a separate district on 17 May 2008.

Creation of Chhattisgarh (2000)

• On 1 November 2000, the south-eastern portion of the state was carved out as the new state of Chhattisgarh, under the Madhya Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2000.
• The High Court of Chhattisgarh was established with its seat at Bilaspur; the High Court at Jabalpur became the High Court of the successor state of Madhya Pradesh.
• The present Madhya Pradesh thus came into existence as the 2nd largest state in the country, with a geographical area of about 308 lakh Ha.