Sixteen districts and a High Court at Bilaspur: the Act that carved Chhattisgarh out of Madhya Pradesh

Background

Madhya Pradesh's Foundation Day on 1 November is also the day it was split. Chhattisgarh was carved out of the state on 1 November 2000 under the Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000, Act No. 28 of 2000. The appointed day was fixed by notification S.O. 827(E) of 14 September 2000. Section 3 of the Act moved 16 districts into the new state, among them Bastar, Bilaspur, Dantewada, Durg, Raipur, Rajnandgaon and Surguja. The new state came from south-eastern Madhya Pradesh, where Chhattisgarhi and Gondi are spoken. Chhattisgarh got its own High Court at Bilaspur, while the High Court at Jabalpur continued for the remaining Madhya Pradesh.