Territorial division does not automatically erase every old AP law, permit, contract or pending case. The Act contains provisions for adapting and continuing laws until the competent legislature or government changes them. The same law name may therefore have applied in both successors immediately after 2014 but diverged through later amendments. A 2013 AP rule copied into a current-preparation guide without checking the 2026 state version is unsafe.

When a question refers to “the law in force immediately before the appointed day,” use the pre-division text. When it asks present AP rules, search the current AP statute and notifications. Courts also have to allocate pending proceedings and jurisdiction. A citizen's licence or land record cannot be declared void solely because the state was divided. Continuity rules prevent an administrative vacuum, but they do not freeze all procedures forever. This distinction is a recurring exam trap across local administration, services and taxation.

Worked example: A pre-2014 rule remains cited after bifurcation. Continuity provisions prevent a legal vacuum, but the successor State can amend or adapt the rule through proper authority. To decide a 2026 question, compare the original rule with the applicable later AP adaptation or amendment. The existence of an old rule is neither automatic repeal nor proof that its wording is still current.

Active recall: Why are saving and adaptation clauses needed? Can two successor States later amend a previously common law differently?