Which one of the following is not a feature of a zonal council?

The correct answer is A. A Zonal Council is a statutory body, not a constitutional one. It was created under Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Sections 15 to 21). Aspirants often confuse it with the Inter-State Council, which is constitutional under Article 263, or assume that every body with a broad mandate must be constitutional.

Why the other options are true:

• B: Five Zonal Councils (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, Southern) were set up under the 1956 Act. The North-Eastern Council is a separate statutory body under the North-Eastern Council Act, 1971, which is why it is not counted among the five.
• C: Union Territories are included. Chandigarh is a member of the Northern Zonal Council, and Delhi is also a member. Since 2019, Ladakh has been part of it as a UT.
• D: The councils are advisory bodies. They discuss matters of common interest such as economic planning, inter-state disputes and border issues, and they make recommendations. They have no binding executive powers.

Mains angle: zonal councils are a tool of cooperative federalism and are often cited in discussions on inter-state coordination and the reform of institutions like the Inter-State Council.

Trap: Picking C because Chandigarh is not a state. The question is about features, and UT inclusion is a feature, so it is true.