Important Amendments of the Indian Constitution

upscpathshala.com

UPSC IAS Exam: Important Amendments in Indian Constitution

Under the article 368 the India Constitution provides the parliament provisions to amend the
constitution and its procedures. Amendments to the constitution of India are not easy and need to
comply with certain provisions before they can come into effect.

The Constitution of India is rigid in parts. Amending some of its provisions can difficult while others
can be amended very easily. Article 368, of the Constitution provides for two special methods of
amendment:

(i) Most of the provisions of the Constitution can be amended by the Union Parliament by passing an
Amendment Bill by a majority of total membership and 2/3rd majority of members present and voting
in each of its two Houses.

(ii) For the amendment of some specified parts, a very rigid method has been provided. Under it, first
the Union Parliament passes the Amendment Bill by a majority of total membership and 2/3rd
majority of members present and voting in each house , and then it goes to the State Legislatures for
ratification. The Amendment gets passed only when it is approved by not less than one half of the
several states of the Union.

Notably, some provisions of the Constitution can be amended by a simple majority of the Parliament
in the manner of ordinary legislative process. These amendments do not come under Article 368.

Important Amendments of the Indian Constitution

Below is the list of important amendments in Indian Constitution with their dates, articles-added and
changes (if any) brought:

Important
Newly added, removed and Amended Details of the
Amendment
Articles/Scheduled/Parts Amendments
Acts

Article 1 Article 3 Article 49 Article 80 Article 81

Reorganisation of
Article 82 Article 131 Article 153 Article 158 Article
states on linguistic
7th 168 Article 170 Article 171 Article 216 Article 217
basis Abolition of Class
Amendment Article 220 Article 222 Article 224 Article 230
A, B, C and D states
Act 1956 Article 231 Article 232 Part VIII First, Second,
Introduction of Union
Fourth and Seventh Schedules of Indian
Territories  
Constitution  

Adjustments to Indian
9th
Territory as a result of
Amendment Schedule 1 of Indian Constitution
an agreement with
Act, 1960
Pakistan.

Dadra, Nagar, and

10th
Haveli incorporated in
Amendment Article 240 First Schedule
the Union of Indian as a
Act,  1961
Union Territory

12th Article 240 First Schedule   Goa, Daman and Diu

Amendment incorporated in the
Act 1961 Indian Union as a Union
Territory

13th Nagaland was formed

Amendment Article 170 Added new article 371A with special status
Act, 1963 under Article 371A

14th Pondicherry
Articles 81 and 240 First and fourth Schedules
Amendment incorporated into the
Added Article 239A  
Act, 1962 Indian Union

Sindhi language was

21st
language into 8th
Amendment Eighth Schedule
Schedule of Indian
Act, 1967
Constitution

26th Article 366 Added Article 363A Removed Articles Privy Purse was
Amendment 291 and 362 abolished.
Act 1971

36th
Amendment
Articles 80 and 81 First and fourth Schedules Sikkim incorporated as
Act 40th Added Article 371F Removed Article 2A   an Indian state
Amendment
Act 1975

Article 31 Article 31C Article 39 Article 55 Article 74

Article 77 Article 81 Article 82 Article 83 Article 100
Article 102 Article 103 Article 105 Article 118
Article 145 Article 150 Article 166 Article 170
Article 172 Article 189 Article 191 Article 192
Fundamental Duties
42nd Article 194 Article 208 Article 217 Article 225
prescribed, India
Amendment Article 226 Article 227 Article 228 Article 311
became Socialist
Act 1976 Article 312 Article 330 Article 352 Article 353
Secular Republic
Article 356 Article 357 Article 358 Article 359
Article 366 Article 368 Article 371F Seventh
Schedule   Added Articles 31D, 32A, 39A, 43A, 48A,
131A, 139A, 144A, 226A, 228A and 257A   Added
Parts IVA and XIVA    

Article19 Article 22 Article 30 Article 31A Article

31C Article 38 Article 71 Article 74 Article 77 Article
83 Article 103 Article 105 Article 123 Article 132
Article 133 Article 134 Article 139A Article 150
44th Article 166 Article 172 Article 192 Article 194 Right to Property
Amendment Article 213 Article 217 Article 225 Article 226 removed from the list of
Act 1978 Article 227 Article 239B Article 329 Article 352 fundamental rights
Article 356 Article 358 Article 359 Article 360
Article 371F   Ninth Schedule   Added Articles 134A
and 361A   Deletion of Articles 31, 257A and 329A  
 

61st Article 326 Voting age decreased

Amendment from 21 to 18.
Act 1989

Manipuri, Konkani, and

71st
Nepali were added in
Amendment Article 332
the 8th Schedule of
Act 1992
Indian Constitution

Introduction of
73rd
Panchayat Raj Addition
Amendment Added Part IX
of Part IX to the Indian
Act 1992
Constitution

74th Introduction of
Amendment Article 280 Article 280 Added Part IXA   Municipalities and
Act  1992 Nagarpalikas

86th Free and compulsory

Amendment Amended Articles 45 and 51A Added Article 21A education to children
Act 2002 between 6 and 14 years

Santhali, Bodo, Dogri,

87th and Maithili in the 8th
Amendment Eighth Schedule Schedule of Indian
Act 2003 Constitution Service
Tax introduced.

Extension of
reservation of seats for
95th
SC/ST Nomination of
Amendment Article 334
Anglo-Indian members
Act 2010
in Parliament and State
Assemblies

96th Replaced Odia for Oriya

Amendment Eighth Schedule in the 8th Schedule to
Act 2011 the Indian Constitution

Introduction of Part IXB

97th
in the Constitution of
Amendment  Articles 19 Added Part IXB
India relating to Co-
Act 2012
operative Societies

100th Amendment of First Schedule Exchange of some

Amendment enclave territories with
Act 2015 Bangladesh
Conferment of
citizenship rights to
citizens of enclave’s
resulting to signing of
Land Boundary
Agreement (LBA) Treaty
 between India and
Bangladesh.

Article 248 Article 249 Article 250 Article 268

101st
Article 269 Article 270 Article 271 Article 286 Introduction of Goods
Amendment
Article 366 Article 368 Amended Sixth Schedule and Services Tax (GST)
Act 2016
and Seventh Schedule Deletion of Article 268A

Constitutional Status
102nd Addition of articles 338B, 342A, and Added Clause
to National
Amendment 26C Omitted Article 340 Modification of articles
Commission for
Act 2018 338, 366
Backward Classes

A maximum of 10%
Reservation for
Economically Weaker
Sections of citizens of
classes other than the
classes mentioned in
103rd
Amendment to Article 15, added Clause 6 clauses (4) and (5) of
Amendment
Amendment to Article 16, added Clause 6 Article 15, i.e. Classes
Act 2019
other than socially and
educationally backward
classes of citizens or
the Scheduled Castes
and the Scheduled
Tribes.  

This is a very important part of the UPSC syllabus and it is important to know these amendments
extremely well to be able to answer related question.