Constitution of India · Part IX: The Panchayats
Article 243M: Part not to apply to certain areas
In plain words
This Part does not apply to the Scheduled Areas and tribal areas under article 244, to Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, or to hill areas of Manipur that have District Councils.
- District-level Panchayat provisions do not apply to the hill areas of Darjeeling with the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, and the Council's powers are not affected.
- The reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes under article 243D does not apply to Arunachal Pradesh.
- Nagaland, Meghalaya or Mizoram can extend this Part to itself by a law, after a resolution of its Assembly passed by a majority of total membership and two-thirds present and voting.
- Parliament can by law extend it to Scheduled Areas and tribal areas, and such a law is not a constitutional amendment under article 368.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
(1) Nothing in this Part shall apply to the Scheduled Areas referred to in clause (1), and the tribal areas referred to in clause (2), of article 244.
(2) Nothing in this Part shall apply to—
(a) the States of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram;
(b) the hill areas in the State of Manipur for which District Councils exist under any law for the time being in force.
(3) Nothing in this Part—
(a) relating to Panchayats at the district level shall apply to the hill areas of the District of Darjeeling in the State of West Bengal for which Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council exists under any law for the time being in force;
(b) shall be construed to affect the functions and powers of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council constituted under such law. [(3A) Nothing in article 243D, relating to reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes, shall apply to the State of Arunachal Pradesh.]
(4) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution,—
(a) the Legislature of a State referred to in sub-clause (a) of clause (2) may, by law, extend this Part to that State, except the areas, if any, referred to in clause (1), if the Legislative Assembly of that State passes a resolution to that effect by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting;
(b) Parliament may, by law, extend the provisions of this Part to the Scheduled Areas and the tribal areas referred to in clause (1) subject to such exceptions and modifications as may be specified in such law, and no such law shall be deemed to be an amendment of this Constitution for the purposes of article 368.
Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the official text of the Constitution of India. As amended up to the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023. Text as on 10 September 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.