Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli was a ''de facto'' independent political entity that existed on the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

between 1954 and 1961. It was declared by pro-India forces that had gained control of the region from Portugal in 1954, and ceased to exist after being formally annexed by India on 11 August 1961 as the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

History

Dadra and Nagar Haveli were small Portuguese overseas territories that had been part of

Portuguese India The State of India, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...

since 1779. They were administered by a Portuguese Governor based in nearby Daman. Following Indian independence in 1947, they were completely surrounded by sovereign territory belonging to India. On 22 July 1954, pro-India forces took control of the main police station in Dadra. They would proceed to take control of Naroli on 22 July and the capital of Silvassa on 2 August, at which point the region was declared liberated from Portuguese rule and assumed the name “Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli”. A body called the ''Varishta Panchayat'' of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli was formed to administer the territory. The Indian National Flag was hoisted in Silvassa and the Indian national anthem was sung, becoming the symbols of the state.P S Lele, ''Dadra and Nagar Haveli: past and present'', published by Usha P. Lele, 1987 In June 1961, the ''Varishta Panchayat'' of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli voted to accede to India. An Indian civil servant, Kishinchand Gobindram Badlani, who had been serving as administrator since 1960, would assume the title “Prime Minister of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli” on 11 August 1961 in order to formally sign an Instrument of Accession allowing annexation by India to take place. Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli was annexed by India on 11 August 1961 by virtue of the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of India, becoming the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Portugal refused to recognise the loss of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and continued to claim the areas as part of Portuguese India an were still recognised internationally (e.g., by the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

) as Portuguese possessions. Portugal formally recognised Indian sovereignty over the area on 31 December 1974 following the

Carnation revolution The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

Government and politics

After Dadra and Nagar Haveli was declared liberated from Portuguese rule, a body called the ''Varishta Panchayat'' of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli was formed to administer the region. The administration of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli was also supported by civil servants from the

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...

Office holders

;Administrator ;Prime Minister

Postal history

Mail from Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli was routed through the Indian town of Vapi close to the border. Initially, remaining stocks of stamps of Portuguese India were overprinted LIBERATED AREAS in two lines. A single revenue stamp was also issued by Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

References

{{reflist Dadra and Nagar Haveli Indian independence movement Former unrecognized countries Former countries Former countries in Asia States and territories established in 1954 States and territories disestablished in 1961 Former countries in South Asia