What Is Article 371 of the Indian Constitution? — Special Provisions for Northeast States, Explained Plainly
What Is Article 371 of the Indian Constitution? — Special Provisions for Northeast States, Explained Plainly What Is Article 371 of the Indian Constitution? — Special Provisions for Northeast States, Explained Plainly By BUGLE | June 2026 | Last updated: June 2026 | 13 min read Why this is in the news in 2026: After the BJP government's 2019 abrogation of Article 370 — which had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir — communities in Northeast India began asking whether Article 371, which gives special protections to their states, could be similarly removed. In the Supreme Court, Congress leader Manish Tewari raised this concern explicitly during Article 370 hearings. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court on behalf of the government that it has "no plans" to amend Article 371. Meanwhile, the government has considered extending Article 371-like protections to Ladakh — the Union Territory that lost its special sta...