CM Devendra Fadnavis Can Now Override Ministers’ Decisions Under New Maharashtra Rules

Maharashtra's newly notified Rules of Business, 2026 have given Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis explicit authority to intervene in decisions taken by individual ministers if he considers such action to be in the public interest. The chief minister can modify or overturn a departmental decision, but the reasons for doing so must be recorded in writing. While the government has presented the changes as an administrative and legal reform, the provision could also have political implications for the functioning of the Mahayuti coalition.

The new rules replace the earlier framework governing the allocation and conduct of government business in Maharashtra. Such rules operate under Article 166 of the Constitution and establish how executive decisions are taken within a state government. Under the 2026 framework, departmental ministers continue to have primary responsibility for their respective portfolios, but the chief minister has been given a clearly defined power to review and modify decisions when they are considered contrary to the public interest.

The change has its roots in a 2023 legal dispute involving the then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Shinde had stayed a decision taken by the state's Cooperation Minister in connection with the Chandrapur District Central Cooperative Bank. The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court later set aside the chief minister's order, holding that the rules then in force did not give the chief minister independent authority to intervene in a decision of the concerned minister. The 2026 rules now explicitly provide for such intervention.

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The political significance of the provision is particularly notable because of the change in Maharashtra's leadership since that court ruling. Shinde is now Deputy Chief Minister, while Fadnavis is Chief Minister in the BJP-led Mahayuti government. Although the government has framed the new provision as a way to remove ambiguity and establish a clearer administrative mechanism, it could strengthen the chief minister's position in a coalition where ministers from different parties exercise influence over their respective departments.

The rules also give the chief minister a clearly defined authority to requisition files and documents from any department. Ministers and departmental secretaries will be required to provide such files when requested by the chief minister, allowing him to personally review matters under the control of other departments. The provision does not remove the powers or responsibilities of individual ministers, but it establishes stronger central oversight by the chief minister over important departmental decisions.

There is, however, no public confirmation that Fadnavis has so far used the new provision to overturn a minister's decision. Its practical and political significance will become clearer when the authority is invoked in a major or sensitive case. Until then, the 2026 Rules of Business represent both a formal clarification of the chief minister's powers and a potentially important shift in the balance of authority within Maharashtra's coalition government.

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