Article 372A gives the President ongoing power to change any law at any time.

The power was strictly time-limited — orders had to be made before 1 November 1957, tied specifically to adapting laws after the 1956 Seventh Amendment.

Once the President adapted a law under this Article, it could never be changed again.

Clause (2) explicitly preserves the power of Parliament, State Legislatures, or other competent authorities to later amend or repeal such adapted laws through the normal process.

The Constitution of India

Article 372A

Power of the President to adapt laws

(1) For the purposes of bringing the provisions of any law in force in India or in any part thereof, immediately before the commencement of the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, into accord with the provisions of this Constitution as amended by that Act, the President may by order made before the first day of November, 1957, make such adaptations and modifications of the law, whether by way of repeal or amendment, as may be necessary or expedient, and provide that the law shall, as from such date as may be specified in the order, have effect subject to the adaptations and modifications so made, and any such adaptation or modification shall not be questioned in any court of law.§

(2) Nothing in clause (1) shall be deemed to prevent a competent Legislature or other competent authority from repealing or amending any law adapted or modified by the President under the said clause.§

Why this exists

The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956 reorganized Indian states along linguistic lines and restructured the Union-State framework. This created a huge number of pre-existing laws (state and central) that referred to old state boundaries, old legislative structures, or outdated terms. Article 372A, much like Article 372 after 1950, gave the President a temporary, time-bound power to tidy up and adapt these laws so the legal system would function smoothly under the new constitutional map, without needing Parliament to individually amend every affected law before the deadline.

Common misconceptions

Myth: Article 372A gives the President ongoing power to change any law at any time.
Fact: The power was strictly time-limited — orders had to be made before 1 November 1957, tied specifically to adapting laws after the 1956 Seventh Amendment.
Myth: Once the President adapted a law under this Article, it could never be changed again.
Fact: Clause (2) explicitly preserves the power of Parliament, State Legislatures, or other competent authorities to later amend or repeal such adapted laws through the normal process.