Why the Governor of Punjab is also Administrator of Chandigarh
Background
Gulab Chand Kataria presided over Punjab Engineering College's 56th Convocation as "Governor of Punjab and Administrator, Union Territory of Chandigarh". The dual title goes back decades. After Punjab was reorganised on November 1, 1966, Chandigarh became a Union Territory and the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. From 1966 to 1984 it was governed by Chief Commissioners. In 1984, in the wake of militancy in Punjab, the post of Chief Commissioner was abolished and redesignated as Adviser to the Administrator, and the Punjab Governor became ex-officio Administrator under Article 239(2) — an arrangement The Tribune describes as unique in the country. A move in 2016 to appoint an independent Administrator was reversed. In 2025 the Centre proposed bringing Chandigarh under Article 240, which empowers the President to make regulations for the "peace, progress and good government" of Union Territories, but stepped back after objections in Punjab.
In plain words
Union Territory Union Territory — Territory administered by the President through an Administrator under Part VIII of the Constitution.
Article 239(2) Article 239(2) — Allows a State's Governor to be appointed Administrator of an adjoining Union Territory.
Article 240 Article 240 — Empowers the President to make regulations for the peace, progress and good government of certain Union Territories.