Presidents rule is enabled by article 356 of the constitution of India. This article gives the central government the authority to dismiss any state government if there has been failure of the Constitutional machinery in the state. This article was enabled as a means for the central government to assert authority over a state if civil unrest (such as riots) occured and the state government didn't have the means to end the unrest. Critics of president's rule argue that most of the time, it has been used as a pretext to dissolve state governments ruled by political opponents. Thus, it is seen by many as a threat to the federal state system. Since the Indian constitution was adopted in 1950, the central government has used this article more than 100 times to dissolve state governments and impose direct rule. The Constitution of India, the worlds lengthiest written constitution (with 395 articles and 8 schedules) was passed by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. ... The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ... A government is an organization that has the power to make and enforce laws for a certain territory. ... India is subdivided into 28 states, 6 union territories and a national capital territory. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Events January January 5 - US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 - The United Kingdom recognizes the Peoples Republic of China. ...

External links

• Discusses the instances where presidents rule has been invoked (http://www.ejcl.org/81/abs81-4.html)
• Text of article 356, which enables the use of presidents rule (http://www.constitution.org/cons/india/p18356.html)