Governance and Autonomy under Article 371G of Indian Constitution

This paper critically examines Article 371G of the Indian Constitution, a provision granting Special Autonomy to Mizoram, emerging from the historic Mizoram Peace Accord of 1986. Drawing on theories of asymmetric federalism, cultural rights and legal pluralism, the study investigates how Article 371G has balanced the demands of national integration with sub-national autonomy and identity preservation. Using a qualitative methodology based on doctrinal legal analysis and secondary data, it assesses the historical evolution, legal architecture, comparative frameworks and implementation challenges of the provision. The analysis reveals that while Article 371G has contributed to peacebuilding and cultural protection, it also presents tensions between development, resource governance and legal pluralism. The paper argues that Article 371G represents a successful, though not unproblematic, model of constitutional accommodation and offers insights for designing similar provisions in diverse federal societies.