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How is Uttarakhand governed under India's parliamentary system?

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Uttarakhand Bathing ghats on the Bhagirathi River at Gangotri, Uttarakhand, India.

Under India's parliamentary system, the government of Uttarakhand is structured into executive, legislative, and judicial branches as defined by the national constitution of 1950.1

Executive and Legislative Branches

The state's chief executive is the governor, who is appointed by the president of India. The governor is supported by a Council of Ministers, which is led by a chief minister. The chief minister plays a central role in policy-making and serves as the primary link between the Council of Ministers and the governor. The legislature, known as the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha), is a unicameral body with members elected to five-year terms.12

Judiciary and Local Administration

The judicial system is headed by the High Court at Nainital, led by a chief justice, with the Supreme Court of India serving as the final court of appeal. Below the High Court, the state maintains a system of district, sessions, civil, and magistrates’ courts. For local administration, the state is divided into districts, each managed by a district magistrate, with further subdivisions into tehsils and development blocks.1