---
title: "Radcliffe Line — Definition & Meaning | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Radcliffe Line is the 1947 boundary between India and Pakistan, drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, impacting millions during Partition."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/radcliffe-line"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Radcliffe Line is the boundary demarcating India and Pakistan, drawn in 1947 by Sir Cyril Radcliffe under the Indian Independence Act.
- Who drew the Radcliffe Line and under what authority?
- Why is the Gurdaspur district significant to the Radcliffe Line?
- How is the Radcliffe Line different from the Line of Control?
- What was the criterion for demarcation?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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### Indian National Congress

Each Boundary Commission comprised Radcliffe as chairman plus four High Court judges — two nominated by the Indian National Congress and two by the Muslim League. Because the nominated judges divided predictably along communal lines and deadlocked, the decisive determinations fell to Radcliffe's casting authority alone. The Punjab award split the province, dividing the districts of Gurdaspur, Lahore, Amritsar and Ferozepur, while the Bengal award separated West Bengal from East Bengal (later East Pakistan, today Bangladesh) and assigned Calcutta to India. The award also separated Sylhet, transferred to East Bengal following a referendum, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The most contested decision was the allotment of the Muslim-majority Gurdaspur district largely to India, which gave India crucial land access to the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir — a point Pakistani historiography cites as evidence of partiality.

### All-India Muslim League

Each Boundary Commission comprised Radcliffe as chairman plus four High Court judges — two nominated by the Indian National Congress and two by the Muslim League. Because the nominated judges divided predictably along communal lines and deadlocked, the decisive determinations fell to Radcliffe's casting authority alone. The Punjab award split the province, dividing the districts of Gurdaspur, Lahore, Amritsar and Ferozepur, while the Bengal award separated West Bengal from East Bengal (later East Pakistan, today Bangladesh) and assigned Calcutta to India. The award also separated Sylhet, transferred to East Bengal following a referendum, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The most contested decision was the allotment of the Muslim-majority Gurdaspur district largely to India, which gave India crucial land access to the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir — a point Pakistani historiography cites as evidence of partiality.

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In August 1947, Sir Cyril Radcliffe's award split Punjab's Gurdaspur district, granting India a land route to Jammu and Kashmir and triggering one of history's largest forced migrations.

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