Before the Centre can take over a State, it must first protect it. Article 355 is the Union’s duty: to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance, and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the Constitution. It is the constitutional preface to President’s Rule under Article 356.
CONSTITUTION OF INDIAArticle 355
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It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
Article 355 imposes two duties on the Union: protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance, and ensure constitutional government in every State. It is read together with Article 356 (President’s Rule).
mcqquestion.com · Indian Polity🛡️ Exam Edge
🛡️ Article 355: Duty of the Union
Protect the States — and keep them constitutional.
External aggressionUnion protects against outside attack
Internal disturbanceUnion may act on internal unrest
ConstitutionalStates must run by the Constitution
Art 356 linkFailure justifies President’s Rule
Not automatic356 needs failure of machinery
Exam355 = duty; 356 = takeover
💡The trap: Article 355 is the duty; Article 356 is the remedy — President’s Rule needs a failure of constitutional machinery, not merely a disturbance.
mcqquestion.comUPSC · CDS · NDA · CAPF · SSC
Must Know
The Union’s Duty
- ProtectionThe Union must protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance.
- Constitutional governmentThe Union must ensure that every State’s government is carried on in accordance with the Constitution.
- 355 vs 356355 imposes the duty; 356 provides the sanction when constitutional machinery fails.
- So whatArticle 355 is why the Centre can legitimately act within a State in a crisis.
When Article 355 Comes Alive
- DisturbanceSerious internal disturbance may trigger Union intervention under 355 before any 356 proclamation.
- Not blanketThe duty does not authorise arbitrary takeover — it supports constitutional action, not political overreach.
- Judicial checkCourts have held that 355 and 356 are justiciable for malafide use, though the trigger is largely political.
- So whatEvery President’s Rule debate begins with whether the 355 duty was invoked genuinely.
Good to Know
The Link to Article 356
- Failure clauseArticle 356 applies when the government of a State cannot be carried on per the Constitution.
- ConsequencesUnder 356, the President may assume functions, and the State Legislature’s powers pass to Parliament.
- So whatQuestions pair 355 (duty) and 356 (remedy) — know which is which.
- So what355 is the duty, 356 is the sanction — the pair is always tested together.
✅ Test Yourself
Work through a 5-question chain on Article 355, then keep practising with a random Indian Polity question.
Great to Know
The Story of the Last-Resort Article
- Why 355The framers wanted the Union to be the guardian of every State’s constitutional order.
- Ambedkar’s pleaAmbedkar defended Article 356 as ‘a matter of last resort’ — and it was used far more often than he hoped.
- The misuse debateS.R. Bommai (1994) and countless political crises made courts insist that 356 be used sparingly.
- So whatArticle 355 is the good faith behind 356 — protect first, take over only as a last resort.
- Why it mattersThe Bommai judgment made 356 justiciable, ensuring the last resort cannot become a first habit.
PYQ / Exam Angle
UPSC 2023: The Duty to Protect
- QuestionUPSC and other competitive exams ask how many statements are correct — including the Central Government’s duty to protect States from internal disturbances under Article 355.
- WhyStatement 1 is exactly Article 355: the Union protects every State against internal disturbance.
- LinkSource: UPSC CSP 2023 (see Q77).
CDS II 2020: Ambedkar’s ‘Last Resort’
- QuestionCDS and other competitive exams ask which Article Ambedkar defended as ‘a matter of last resort’ — Article 356.
- WhyArticle 356 (President’s Rule) is the last-resort provision that Article 355’s duty supports.
- LinkSource: CDS II 2020 (see Q91).
UPSC 2018: Effects of Article 356
- QuestionUPSC and other competitive exams ask what happens when the President acts under Article 356 — the powers of the State Legislature pass to Parliament.
- WhyThe Assembly is not automatically dissolved; it may be suspended, and Parliament exercises the legislature’s powers.
- LinkSource: UPSC CSP 2018 (see Q53).
Current Affairs / So What
President’s Rule in the News
- Why it mattersFrom Manipur to Maharashtra, every President’s Rule episode is a test of Article 355’s duty.
- So whatWhen a State is said to be ‘taken over’, the constitutional question is whether 355’s duty was honestly exhausted first.
- DevelopmentRecent President’s Rule episodes show courts demanding that Article 355’s duty be genuinely discharged first.
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