The Constitution of India was framed and adopted in 1950 and over the years it has been amended many times. All these amendments have been instrumental in the social, legal and political development of the nation. Important amendments of Indian Constitution for law entrance exams are necessary for a good score and holistic understanding. Every law aspirant writing tests such as
CLAT exam
, MH CET Law, AILET, TS LAWCET, AP LAWCET, etc. should have adequate knowledge about the various amendments to the Constitution of the country. This article contains information on the most important amendments in Indian Constitution, paying specific attention to those that affect
law entrance exams
.
There have been quite a number of changes in the Indian Constitution in the last two decades which are significant for law entrance examinations. For the first time, the 86th Amendment Act of 2002 declared elementary education as a fundamental right and a new fundamental obligation to parents to ensure education for their children.
The 91st Amendment Act of Parliament in 2003 placed certain limits on the size of the Council of Ministers and barred the defectors from entering the corridors of power for a period of time. The 97th Constitution Amendment Act 2011 gave constitutional status to cooperative societies.
The introduction of the 99th Amendment Act of 2014 led to the constitutional formation of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) to select the judges who would form the higher judiciary. The implementation of the GST in India was done through the 101st Amendment Act, 2016.
All these amendments have brought about changes in many areas in relation to legal education, government, and taxation. It is crucial for law aspirants to refer to these amendments for a clear understanding of the current legal structure of India.
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List of Important Amendments of Indian Constitution for Law Entrance Exams
Here’s the list of all the important amendments of Indian Constitution for law entrance exams:Amendment No. | Year | Key Changes and Provisions |
---|---|---|
1st Amendment | 1951 | Placed restrictions on freedom of speech and expression; embodied certain laws related to the acquisition of certain types of agricultural lands; provided for a different standard of treatment for vulnerable sections of the population. |
7th Amendment | 1956 | Divided some states along linguistic lines, created new ones and also changed the geographical demarcations of some of the other ones. |
13th Amendment | 1962 | It banned the system of untouchability and provided that anyone who sought to perpetrate this system would be made to face the law. |
15th Amendment | 1963 | Extended the mandatory retirement age of new High Court judges from 60 to 62 years. |
21st Amendment | 1967 | Included the Sindhi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. |
24th Amendment | 1971 | Validated the authority of Parliament to alter the basic structure of fundamental rights; reversed the verdict of the Golaknath case. |
26th Amendment | 1971 | Revoked privy purses of the rulers of princely states. |
42nd Amendment | 1976 | Called the ‘Mini Constitution’, it incorporated the terms ‘Socialist’, ‘Secular’, ‘Integrity’ in the preamble and introduced the concept of Fundamental Duties. |
44th Amendment | 1978 | Changed property from one of the rights in the Constitution to an individual right; introduced the judicial enforcement of the proclamation of states of emergency. |
61st Amendment | 1988 | Reduced the voting age from 21 years to 18 years. |
73rd Amendment | 1992 | Extended constitutional recognition to Panchayati Raj system; put in place a three tier local government structure. |
74th Amendment | 1992 | Gave constitutional status to Municipalities; provided a legal structure of urban local government. |
86th Amendment | 2002 | Guaranteed free education for every child between the ages of six to fourteen years; included a new Fundamental Duty to educate the child. |
97th Amendment | 2011 | Provided a constitutional recognition to cooperative societies; underscored the importance of cooperatives in the economy. |
100th Amendment | 2015 | Approved the treaty defining the border between two countries – Bangladesh; provided legislative amendments concerning the territories of some states. |
101st Amendment | 2016 | Implemented the Goods and Services Tax (GST); is intended to harmonise the taxation structure. |
102nd Amendment | 2018 | Conferred constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). |
103rd Amendment | 2019 | Guaranteed 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the matter of admissions in educational institutions and government employment. |
104th Amendment | 2019 | Continued the provision of reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for the candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes up to the year 2030. |
105th Amendment | 2021 | Dealt with matters concerning the protection of the rights of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in local governing bodies. |
The said amendments explain how the Indian Constitution has constantly evolved in response to the changing socio-political climate. Knowledge of these amendments is particularly significant for law students to succeed and qualify because these are one of the key provisions of the legal framework in the Republic of India.
What is an Amendment in the Indian Constitution?
The amendment to the Constitution of India is an alteration made to the provisions of the existing Constitution. Amendments are put in place to make the Constitution current as it is supposed to change in response to the changing world. Article 368 provides the provisions of Amending the Constitution.- Simple Majority: There are some provisions under which a Ministry can modify certain provisions with the approval of a majority in both the Houses of Parliament.
- Special Majority: Some revisions need a special majority meaning that they must be passed by at least two-thirds of voting members of both houses of parliament.
- Special Majority with State Ratification: When major reforms are proposed changes like the federal structure, the amendment needs the approval of at least half of the state legislatures.
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Amendment Process of the Indian Constitution
Article 368 of the Indian Constitution also provides how an amendment is made. This procedure allows Parliament to amend the Constitution, and thus, can be flexible, while always keeping a set of certain principles in mind. Here are the steps involved in the amendment process of the Indian Constitution:- Initiation: Amendment ensues as a result of the introduction of a bill in either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. This bill can be introduced by any member of the Parliament including ministers of the government.
- Majority Requirement: The bill can only be passed with a special majority of both houses before it is sent to the president for his assent. This means it requires:
- A majority of the total membership of each House of which it forms a part,
- More than two-thirds of all the members who have physical presence at the meeting as well as the vote cast in the meeting.
- Presidential Assent: Once the bill has been agreed upon in both Houses, it is forwarded to the President for signature. The President must provide their sign of approval and cannot reject or send back the bill.
- State Ratification: If the amendment has implications on the federal system then it needs to be approved by at least half of the state assemblies. This ratification should be made prior to the time when the bill is submitted to the President.
Despite the fact that Parliament has the authority to alter the Constitution in a number of ways as noted above, such power is relative. The basic structure or the basic framework of the constitution has been preserved by the Supreme Court of India as it has laid down the cardinal principles that cannot be amended. These include the principle of the supremacy of the Constitution, the federal system of government and provisions on the recognition of fundamental rights. Therefore, any attempt at amending these principles must respect these principles so that they qualify as valid.
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The Constitution of India has also been subject to a number of changes since its formation which has considerably influenced the legal structure of the country. In the case of law entrance exams, there are a few changes that need to be made specifically. The First Amendment of 1951 dealt with issues of freedom of speech and expression as well as provisions for the election of the President of India while the Forty Second Amendment often referred to as the “Mini Constitution” which included the incorporation of the terms ‘Socialist’, ‘Secular” and ‘Integrity’ in the preamble.
The Forty-Fourth Amendment (1978) deleted property rights as a part of the fundamental rights and instead made this a legal right. Some other amendments include the Sixty-First Amendment enacted in 1988 which reduced the voting age to 18 years as well as the Eighty-Sixth Amendment enacted in 2002 which provided a right to education for children between the ages of 6 to 14.
These amendments should be understood by anyone who wants to become a law student, as they define the further development of Indian democracy and the institution of individual and state authority. All these amendments represent certain socio-political problems, which reflect the interaction between the Constitution and modern Indian realities.
Summing up, these amendments are often covered in the popular law entrance exams in India, thus, the importance of understanding these amendments’ implications is significant. An understanding of these changes is not only helpful for examination purposes but also beneficial in future law coursework and practice.
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