Important Amendments in Indian Constitution
- Amendment in the Indian Constitution is basically the changing or modification of the Indian Constitution time-to-time since its first implementation in 1950 over the course of Indian Polity.
- It is a document that has helped shape India’s political and social history for generations to come. So that it can keep enlightening us and subsequent generations.
- The amendments of Indian Constitution is borrowed from the Constitution of South Africa.
- As of recent legislative updates, 106 Constitutional Amendment Act have been passed by the Parliament of India.
- There are three types of amendments to the Constitution of India of which second and third type of amendments are governed under the Article 368 (Part XX). These are:
1) Simple Majority
2) Special Majority
3) Special Majority & Ratification by states
This article will provide you with the important Amendments of Indian Constitution that are frequently asked in SSC and Railway exams . This topic comes under the static General Knowledge section. Mastering the important Amendments of the Indian Constitution is essential for scoring well in the exams. Important Amendments in Indian Constitution: Complete List
Overview of the Amendment Process (Article 368)
Before going into the list of Important Amendments, it is important to understand how the amendment takes place. Article 368 outlines three specific methods for amending the constitution:
- Simple Majority by Parliament: Covers administrative matters like forming new states (Article 2), changing state boundaries or altering quorum requirements (These are not considered amendments under Article 368).
- Special Majority of Parliament: These are governed by Article 368. It requires a two-thirds majority of members present and voting, along with a majority of the total membership of each house . This applies to the Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policies (DPSP’s).
- Special Majority+ State Ratification: It requires a special majority in parliament plus approved by at least half of the State Legislatures. This method is applicable for provisions affecting India’s federal structure.
Historical Landmark Amendments
1st Constitutional Amendment Act (1951)
- Ninth Schedule Introduced: created the Ninth Schedule to protect land reform laws.
- Restrictions on Freedom of Speech: Amended Article 15(4) and Article 19(6) and changes to the private property.
7th Constitutional Amendment Act (1956)
- Linguistic Re-organization: Re-organized Indian states based on languages.
- Abolition of Parts A, B, C and D- replaced the original four-part classification of states (A, B, C, D) and established 14 states and 6 union territories.
- Common High Courts: Allowed for the establishment of a common High Court for two or more states.
42nd Constitutional Amendment Act (1976)- “The Mini-Constitution”
Passed during the National Emergency under the Indira Gandhi government, this Amendment is considered as the most comprehensive and controversial amendments in the history of Independent India. It brought about massive modifications across almost every part of the Constitution:
- Expansion of Preamble: It added three core terms- Socialist, Secular and Integrity.
- Fundamental Duties: Introduced Part IV-A and Article 51A containing 10 fundamental duties for citizens recommended by the Swaran Singh Committee.
- Judicial Restrictions: Attempted to reduce the power of the Supreme Court and High Courts regarding judicial reviews.
44th Constitutional Amendment Act (1978)- The Corrective Amendment
Enacted by the Janata Party government to remove non-democratic changes made during the Emergency.
- Right to Property: Deleted “Right to Property” from the Part-III of the Fundamental Rights and made it a legal rights under Article 300-A.
- National Emergency Safeguards: Replaced the term “internal disturbance” with “armed rebellion” for declaring a National Emergency.
- Fundamental Right Protection: Ensured that Fundamental Rights under Article 20 and 21 cannot be suspended during a National Emergency.
Local Self-Government Amendments
73rd Constitutional Amendment Act (1992)
- Granted constitutional status, powers and responsibilities to Panchayati Raj institutions (Rural Local Government).
- Added Part IX to the Constitution and introduced the Eleventh schedule (containing 29 functional items).
74th Constitutional Amendment Act (1992)
- Granted constitutional status ,powers and responsibilities to Municipalities (Urban Local Government).
- Added Part-IX-A and introduced the Twelfth schedule (containing 18 functional items).
Complete Summary Table for Quick Revision
| Amendments | Key Features |
| 1st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951 | This amendment added Article 15(4) and Article 19(6) and changes to the private property.Added Ninth schedule. |
| 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 | Implementation on account of reorganization of states on a linguistic basis.Changes regarding appointment of acting judges, high courts etc. |
| 10th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1961 | Incorporated Dadra and Nagar Haveli as Union Territory. |
| 12th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1962 | Added the territories of Goa, Daman & Diu into the Indian Union. |
| 18th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1966 | Reorganized Punjab into Punjab, Haryana and UT of Chandigarh. |
| 21st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1967 | Included Sindhi language as the fifteenth regional language. |
| 26th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1971 | Abolished the titles and special privileges of former rules of princely states. |
| 36th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1975 | Made Sikkim a full-fledged state of the Union of India. |
| 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 | Also nicknamed as the Mini- Constitution of India.Provided supremacy of parliament and gave Directive Principles precedence over Fundamental Rights. Incorporated the words-‘SOCIALIST,’ ‘SECULAR’ & ‘INTEGRITY.’Added 10 Fundamental Duties. |
| 44th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1978 | Deleted “Right to Property” from the Part-III of the Fundamental Rights and place in a new Art. 300A as a legal right.Article 352 was amended to provide “armed rebellion” as one of the circumstances for National emergency. |
| 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985 | This Amendment was brought during Rajiv Gandhi regime.Added the 10th schedule (regarding the anti-defection law). |
| 56th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985 | The UT of Goa, Daman & Diu was divided and Goa was made a state. Daman & Diu remained as a UT. |
| 61st Amendment Act, 1988 | Reduced the voting from 21 to 18 years for the Lok Sabha as well as assemblies. |
| 69th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1991 | Insertion of Art.239-AA & 239-AB to provide a National Capital Territory designation to Union Territory of Delhi. |
| 71st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 | Included Manipuri, Konkani & Nepalese languages in the 8th schedule. |
| 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 | Added Panchayati Raj Institution in the 11th schedule of the Constitution. Provided among other things Gram Sabha in Villages, direct elections to all seats in panchayats, reservation of seats for Women, SC’s & ST’s. It also inserted part IX containing Arts. 243, 243A & 243O. |
| 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 | Added Municipality bill in part IX-A of the constitution.Containing Arts. 243P to 243ZG and the XIIth schedule which deals with items concerning Municipalities. |
| 77th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1995 | A new clause 4A was added to Art.16 which authorized the state to make provisions for SC’s & ST’s regarding promotion in govt. jobs. |
| 84th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2001 | Extended freeze on Lok Sabha and State Assembly seats till 2026. |
| 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002 | Added a new Article 21A which makes education a fundamental right for children of the age of 6-14 years. Added a new fundamental Duty (Art.51A) to part IV of the constitution. |
| 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003 | Amended the anti-defection law and also limits the size of Ministries at the centre and in states cannot be more than 15% of the strength of Lok Sabha & respected Vidhan Sabha. |
| 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003 | Bodo, Maithili, Santhali & Dogri added into the 8th schedule. |
| 93rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2005 | To reserve seats for socially and educationally backward classes besides the SC’s & ST’s in private unaided institutions. |
| 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2007 | Introduced the “Goods & Services Tax” (GST) Addition of Articles 246A, 269A, 279A. |
| 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2018 | Constitutional status to the Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). |
| 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 | 10% reservation of all the citizens belonging to “Economic Backward Section”(EWS). |
| 105th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2021 | To restore the power of the state govt. to identify “Other Backward Classes” (OBC’s) that are socially and educationally backward. |
| 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023 | Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam– reserved 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Q1) What is an amendment in Indian Constitution?
Ans. Amendment in the Indian Constitution is basically the changing or amending the provisions in the Constitution time-to-time over the course of Indian Polity.
Q2) How many Amendments have been made to the Indian Constitution so far?
Ans: As of recent legislative updates, 106 Constitutional Amendment Act have been passed by the Parliament of India.
Q3) Which Amendment is known as the “Mini-Constitution” of India?
Ans: The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act (1976) is widely known as the “Mini-Constitution” of the Indian Constitution.
Q4) Under which Article can the Indian Constitution be amended?
Ans: The Indian Constitution can be amended under Article 368 (Part XX).
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