Home The Constitution Part X Article 244

Art. 244 Part X: Scheduled and Tribal Areas

Administration of Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas

Exact text — Constitution of India

(1) The provisions of the Fifth Schedule shall apply to the administration and control of the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in any State other than the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

(2) The provisions of the Sixth Schedule shall apply to the administration of the tribal areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

In Plain English

What this Article actually means

This Article routes India's tribal-area administration through two entirely different systems depending on the region. Most of the country's Scheduled Areas (mainly central India — parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and others) follow the Fifth Schedule, which gives the Governor and a Tribes Advisory Council strong oversight, including power to restrict land transfers to non-tribals. The four named Northeastern states instead follow the Sixth Schedule, which creates elected Autonomous District Councils with genuine local law-making and even limited judicial power — a much more devolved model.

Why This Matters To You

How it shows up in everyday life

Which system applies to you matters enormously if you live in or do business in a tribal area — Fifth Schedule areas have strong state-government oversight of land and administration, while Sixth Schedule areas are governed substantially by their own elected Autonomous District Councils, with different rules on things like land ownership, local taxation, and dispute resolution.

Read alongside this one

Art. 244a — Formation of an Autonomous State for Certain Tribal Areas in Assam

Frequently Asked

Quick answers about Article 244

Why do only four Northeastern states get the Sixth Schedule treatment?

Historically, these regions (unlike most Fifth Schedule areas) had a distinct pre-independence tradition of local tribal self-governance that the framers chose to preserve and formalise through directly elected Autonomous District Councils, rather than routing administration through the state Governor's oversight as under the Fifth Schedule.

← BackPart X Overview Next →Article 244A: Formation of an Autonomous State for Certain Tribal Areas in Assam

The text above reproduces Article 244 of the Constitution of India as amended to date, for general educational reference. It is public-domain legislative text, but we recommend cross-checking the authoritative version at legislative.gov.in or india.gov.in before relying on it for a legal matter. The explanation, examples and FAQs are general information, not legal advice — consult a qualified advocate for guidance on your specific situation.