Dadra and Nagar Haveli is located between the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Dadra and Nagar Haveli coastal territories came under Portuguese control in the year 1783 and 1785, respectively. Then, it was an enclave of around 72 villages. The total area of the region was approximately 491 square kms. After the defeat of Maratha power in the third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, the Portuguese took control of the site and recognized it as the territory of Portuguese India. In 1930, an Anti-Portuguese Movement was started in Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu. Many freedom fighters were active under different organizations, demanding the Portuguese to hand over the region. Appasaheb Kaarmalkar, a government employee headed the National Liberation Movement organization; the ‘Azad Gomantak Dal’ was led by Vishwanath Lavande, Prabhakar Sinari, and Dattatreya Deshpande. The volunteers of ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’ played a crucial role in the liberation movement. Another organization, known as the United Front of Goa, was also working to oust the Portuguese from the area. The United Front of Goa attacked the Dadra police station and overpowered the authorities to unfurl the Indian flag on 22 July 1954. Dadra was declared a free territory. As liberation forces gained momentum, the Portuguese troops retreated to Silvassa under Captain Virgilio Fidalgo. On 2 August 1954, Dadra and Nagar Haveli was declared independent of the Portuguese rule. The organization formed a governing body called ‘Varishtha Panchayat’ for free Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In legal terms, after the fall of the Portuguese rule on 2 August 1954, Dadra and Nagar Haveli became an independent region. Thereafter, the government of Portuguese took the matter to the International Court of Justice. In 1960, the International Court ruled in favor of Portugal, saying that Portugal had a sovereign right over the Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The Varishtha Panchayat knew it was time for some drastic action. Thus, the local leaders and Varishtha Panchayat reached out to the Government of India. A Gujarat cadre senior IAS officer named K.G. Badlani was then sent to the region in the capacity of an administrator. In June 1961, the people of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Varishtha Panchyat voted to unite with India. On 11 August 1961, in a unique and intriguing move, K.G. Badlani was appointed as the Prime Minister of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. By making him Prime Minister, Badlani was made ‘equal to Pandit Nehru’, with the power to sign the document of accession with India. And with that maneuver, the paper was signed, a constitutional amendment was made in Parliament, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli was officially recognized as a Union Territory of India. Recently, i.e., in January 2020, the two union territories of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu were merged. Source: Dr. Shivaji Govindrao Mhasske, DRP, CCRT