The Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000

This Act may be called the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) "appointed day1" means the day which the Central Government may, by notification in theOfficial Gazette, appoint; (b) "article" means an article of the Constitution; (c) "assembly constituency", "council constituency" and "parliamentary constituency" have thesame meanings as in the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (43 of 1950); (d) "Election Commission" means the Election Commission appointed by the President underarticle 324; (e) "existing State of Bihar" means the State of Bihar as existing immediately before theappointed day; (f) "law" includes any enactment, ordinance, regulation, order, bye-law, rule, scheme, notificationor other instrument having, immediately before the appointed day, the force of law in the whole or inany part of the existing State of Bihar; (g) "notified order" means an order published in the Official Gazette; (h) "population ratio", in relation to the States of Bihar and Jharkhand, means the ratio of645.30:218.44; (i) "sitting member", in relation to either House of Parliament or of the Legislature of the existingState of Bihar, means a person who immediately before the appointed day, is a member of thatHouse; (j) "successor State", in relation to the existing State of Bihar, means the State of Bihar orJharkhand; (k) "transferred territory" means the territory which on the appointed day is transferred from theexisting State of Bihar to the State of Jharkhand; (l) "treasury" includes a sub-treasury; and (m) any reference to a district, tahsil or other territorial division of the existing State of Biharshall be construed as a reference to the area comprised within that territorial division on the appointedday.

On and from the appointed day, there shall be formed a newState to be known as the State of Jharkhand comprising the following territories of the existing State ofBihar, namely: Bokaro, Chatra, Deogarh, Dhanbad, Dumka, Garhwa, Giridih, Godda, Gumla, Hazaribagh,Kodarma, Lohardaga, Pakur, Palamau, Ranchi, Sahebganj, Singhbhum (East) and Singhbhum (West)districts, and thereupon the said territories shall cease to form part of the existing State of Bihar.

On and from the appointed day, the State ofBihar shall comprise the territories of the existing State of Bihar other than those specified in section 3.

On and from the appointed day, in theFirst Schedule to the Constitution, under the heading "I. THE STATES", (a) in the paragraph relating to the territories of the State of Bihar, the following shall be added atthe end, namely: "and the territories specified in section 3 of the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000"; (b) after entry 27, the following entry shall be inserted, namely: "28. Jharkhand: The territories specified in section 3 of the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000.".