18.1Amendments by year and significance#
In brief
Amendment Year Key Change 1st Amendment 1951 Added Art. 15(4); created 9th Schedule; land reform laws protected; public order added to Art. 19(2) 7th Amendment 1956…
| Amendment | Year | Key Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Amendment | 1951 | Added Art. 15(4); created 9th Schedule; land reform laws protected; public order added to Art. 19(2) |
| 7th Amendment | 1956 | Reorganisation of States on linguistic basis; Union Territories created; one HC for multiple States |
| 14th Amendment | 1962 | Pondicherry included; Art. 239-A empowers Parliament to create UT Legislatures |
| 24th Amendment | 1971 | Parliament's power to amend ANY provision including FRs (Art. 368 amended); response to Golak Nath |
| 25th Amendment | 1971 | Art. 31C inserted — laws giving effect to Art. 39(b)/(c) cannot be challenged on Arts. 14/19 grounds |
| 26th Amendment | 1971 | Abolished privy purses and special privileges of former rulers of princely States |
| 38th Amendment | 1975 | Presidential proclamation of Emergency made non-justiciable (Emergency era; largely reversed by 44th) |
| 39th Amendment | 1975 | Election of President, VP, PM, Speaker not subject to judicial review — STRUCK DOWN in Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain (1975) |
| 42nd Amendment | 1976 | Most sweeping — 'Socialist', 'Secular', 'Integrity' added to Preamble; Fundamental Duties (Art. 51-A); Art. 31C expanded; Administrative Tribunals (Arts. 323-A, 323-B); Education to Concurrent List |
| 44th Amendment | 1978 | Reversed most of 42nd Amendment's excesses; 'Armed rebellion' replaced 'internal disturbance'; Cabinet's written advice required for Emergency; Arts. 20/21 non-suspendable; Right to Property → Art. 300-A |
| 52nd Amendment | 1985 | Anti-Defection Law — 10th Schedule inserted |
| 61st Amendment | 1988 | Voting age reduced from 21 to 18 years (Art. 326) |
| 69th Amendment | 1991 | Delhi given special status as NCT — Legislative Assembly and Council of Ministers |
| 73rd Amendment | 1992 | Panchayati Raj institutions — Part IX added; 11th Schedule (29 subjects for Panchayats) |
| 74th Amendment | 1992 | Municipal bodies — Part IX-A added; 12th Schedule (18 subjects for municipalities) |
| 77th Amendment | 1995 | Art. 16(4-A) — reservation in promotion for SC/ST |
| 81st Amendment | 2000 | Art. 16(4-B) — unfilled SC/ST vacancies carried forward; not subject to 50% ceiling |
| 84th Amendment | 2001 | Delimitation of constituencies freeze extended till 2026 |
| 86th Amendment | 2002 | Art. 21-A — free and compulsory education 6–14 years; 11th Fundamental Duty; Art. 45 amended |
| 91st Amendment | 2003 | 10th Schedule amended — 'split' exception removed; only merger of 2/3 recognised; CoM size capped at 15% |
| 93rd Amendment | 2005 | Art. 15(5) — reservation for OBC/SC/ST in private educational institutions |
| 97th Amendment | 2011 | Part IX-B added; right to form cooperative societies under Art. 19(1)(c) |
| 99th Amendment | 2014 | NJAC established — STRUCK DOWN by SC in 2015 as violating basic structure (judicial independence) |
| 100th Amendment | 2015 | Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh |
| 101st Amendment | 2016 | Goods and Services Tax (GST) introduced; Art. 246-A, 269-A; GST Council established |
| 102nd Amendment | 2018 | National Commission for Backward Classes given constitutional status (Art. 338-B) |
| 103rd Amendment | 2019 | Art. 15(6) and Art. 16(6) — 10% reservation for EWS; upheld in Janhit Abhiyan (2022) |
| 104th Amendment | 2020 | Abolished nomination of Anglo-Indian members to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies (Arts. 331 & 333) |
| 105th Amendment | 2021 | Restored power of States to identify OBCs for State reservation purposes |