Part XI
Article 251

Inconsistency between laws made by Parliament under articles 249 and 250 and laws made by the Legislatures of States

Nothing in articles 249 and 250 shall restrict the power of the Legislature of a State to make any law which under this Constitution it has power to make, but if any provision of a law made by the Legislature of a State is repugnant to any provision of a law made by Parliament which Parliament has under either of the said articles power to make, the law made by Parliament, whether passed before or after the law made by the Legislature of the State, shall prevail, and the law made by the Legislature of the State shall to the extent of the repugnancy, but so long only as the law made by Parliament continues to have effect, be inoperative.

VERSION 1

Article 228, Draft Constitution, 1948

Nothing in articles 226 and 227 of this Constitution shall restrict the power of the Legislature of a State to make any law which under this Constitution it has power to make, but if any provision of a law made by the Legislature of a State is repugnant to any provision of a law made by Parliament which Parliament has under either of the said articles power to make, the law made by Parliament, whether passed before or after the law made by the Legislature of the State shall prevail, and the law made by the Legislature of the State shall to the extent of the repugnancy, but so long only as the law made by Parliament continues to have effect, be inoperative.

 

VERSION 2

Article 251, Constitution of India, 1950

Nothing in articles 249 and 250 shall restrict the power of the Legislature of a State to make any law which under this Constitution it has power to make, but if any provision of a law made by the Legislature of a State is repugnant to any provision of a law made by Parliament which Parliament has under either of the said articles power to make, the law made by Parliament, whether passed before or after the law made by the Legislature of the State, shall prevail, and the law made by the Legislature of the State shall to the extent of the repugnancy, but so long only as the law made by Parliament continues to have effect, be inoperative.

SUMMARY

Draft Article 228 (Article 251, Constitution of India 1950) was debated on 13 June 1949. It stated that if there was a conflict between a law made by the Union Parliament and a law made by a State Legislature, then the law made by the Union Parliament would prevail. There was no substantive debate on this Article.

Draft Article 228 was adopted as introduced.