Amendments — Set 5

Correct Answer: A. 97th Amendment

• **97th Amendment (2011)** = granted constitutional status to co-operative societies by adding Part IX-B to the Constitution, covering elections, terms, audit, and dissolution of co-operatives. • **Three insertions** — Article 19(1)(c) expanded (right to form co-ops), Article 43B added as DPSP (promotion of co-ops), and the entire Part IX-B added for their detailed governance framework. • 💡 Option B (95th Amendment) extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in Parliament — unrelated to co-operatives. Option C (96th Amendment) renamed Oriya to Odia. Option D (98th Amendment) inserted Article 371-J for Hyderabad-Karnataka — none of these relate to Co-operative Societies.

Correct Answer: D. No, they must give assent

• **No Presidential veto** = after the 24th Amendment (1971), the President is obligated to give assent to a Constitutional Amendment Bill — no absolute, suspensive, or pocket veto applies. • **Distinction from ordinary bills** — for ordinary bills, the President can withhold assent (absolute veto) or return for reconsideration; but for Constitutional Amendment Bills, assent is compulsory with no option to withhold. • 💡 Option A (Yes, absolute veto) is wrong — the President cannot permanently block a Constitutional Amendment Bill. Option B (Yes, suspensive veto) is wrong — no such power to send back a Constitutional Amendment Bill exists. Option C (Yes, pocket veto) is wrong — pocket veto (indefinite delay) also does not apply to Amendment Bills after the 24th Amendment.

Correct Answer: C. Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs)

• **105th Amendment (2021)** = restored to State governments the power to identify and maintain their own State lists of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs/OBCs). • **Reversed 102nd Amendment confusion** — the 102nd Amendment had been interpreted by the Supreme Court in Maratha reservation case (2021) to strip states of this power; the 105th Amendment clarified that states retain it. • 💡 Option A (Economically Weaker Sections) — the EWS list is addressed by the 103rd Amendment, not the 105th. Option B (Scheduled Tribes) — their list is notified by the President under Article 342 and was not affected by the 105th Amendment. Option D (Scheduled Castes) — SC lists are also a Presidential function under Article 341, separate from SEBCs — only SEBC/OBC lists were addressed by the 105th Amendment.

Correct Answer: D. 7th Amendment

• **7th Amendment (1956)** = among its many provisions, it allowed the same person to be appointed as Governor of two or more states simultaneously, enabling flexible administration. • **Salary arrangement** — when one Governor serves multiple states, the salary and allowances are shared among those states in proportions determined by the President. • 💡 Option A (10th Amendment) incorporated Dadra and Nagar Haveli — unrelated to Governor appointments. Option B (1st Amendment) added the Ninth Schedule. Option C (4th Amendment) empowered the state to acquire property without paying market value compensation — none of these facilitated appointment of one Governor for multiple states.

Correct Answer: A. No, never

• **No joint sitting ever** = Article 368 has no provision for a joint sitting of both Houses to resolve a deadlock over a Constitutional Amendment Bill — each House must pass it independently. • **Consequence of deadlock** — if one House rejects or doesn't pass the Amendment Bill, the bill simply lapses; unlike ordinary bills where Article 108 allows a joint sitting to break deadlock. • 💡 Option B (Yes, with President's permission) is wrong — no provision grants the President power to call a joint sitting for an Amendment Bill. Option C (Yes, in all cases) is wrong — joint sittings apply only to ordinary bills, not amendments. Option D (Yes, if deadlocked) is wrong — even in a deadlock, no joint sitting is allowed for constitutional amendments; the bill lapses.

Correct Answer: A. 2026

• **84th Amendment (2001)** = extended the freeze on the delimitation/readjustment of Lok Sabha and State Assembly seats until the year 2026, maintaining the 1971 census as the base. • **Reason for freeze** — states that controlled population growth would otherwise lose seats in a fresh delimitation; the freeze incentivised all states to pursue family planning. • 💡 Option B (2050) is far beyond the period specified — no amendment has frozen delimitation until 2050. Option C (2021) is before the amendment's target year — the 84th Amendment specifically stated 2026, not 2021. Option D (2031) is also incorrect — the actual freeze under the 84th Amendment was set until 2026.

Correct Answer: D. 77th Amendment

• **77th Amendment (1995)** = added clause (4A) to Article 16 to enable reservation in promotions for SC/ST government employees, nullifying the Supreme Court's Indra Sawhney ruling on promotions. • **Indra Sawhney (1992)** — the Supreme Court in this Mandal case held that reservation cannot apply to promotions; the 77th Amendment constitutionally overruled this for SC/ST employees only. • 💡 Option A (78th Amendment) added more land reform laws to the Ninth Schedule — unrelated to promotion reservations. Option B (79th Amendment) extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in Parliament. Option C (76th Amendment) placed Tamil Nadu's 69% reservation law in the Ninth Schedule — none of these deal with SC/ST reservation in promotions.

Correct Answer: B. Intelligence and Armed Forces

• **50th Amendment (1984)** = amended Article 33 to extend Parliament's power to restrict Fundamental Rights not just of armed forces but also of intelligence organisations, telecommunication, and similar bodies. • **Article 33 scope** — allows Parliament to restrict FRs of armed forces, police forces, intelligence agencies, and persons employed in maintaining public order, to ensure discipline and duty. • 💡 Option A (Teachers) — teachers' Fundamental Rights have not been restricted by any constitutional amendment under Article 33. Option C (Doctors) — medical professionals are not covered under Article 33 restrictions. Option D (Civil Servants) — ordinary civil servants' FRs are regulated through Article 309–311, not through restrictions under Article 33 which is specifically for defence/intelligence.

Correct Answer: C. 98th Amendment

• **98th Amendment (2012)** = inserted Article 371-J to provide special provisions for the Hyderabad-Karnataka (now Kalyana-Karnataka) region of Karnataka for equitable development and local employment. • **Key provision** — establishes a Hyderabad-Karnataka Region Development Board and reserves a proportion of seats in educational institutions and government jobs for local persons from the region. • 💡 Option A (97th Amendment) gave constitutional status to Co-operative Societies — unrelated to Karnataka's regional development. Option B (100th Amendment) operationalised the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement. Option D (99th Amendment) established the NJAC for judicial appointments — none of these inserted Article 371-J.

Correct Answer: D. Swaran Singh Committee

• **Swaran Singh Committee** = recommended including Fundamental Duties in the Constitution; the 42nd Amendment (1976) accordingly added Part IV-A containing Article 51A with 10 original duties. • **11th Duty added** — the 86th Amendment (2002) added an 11th duty under Article 51A(k): duty of parents/guardians to provide education to children aged 6–14. • 💡 Option A (Mandal Commission) recommended OBC reservation (27%) — not Fundamental Duties. Option B (Sarkaria Commission) recommended Centre-State relations reforms — not Fundamental Duties. Option C (Verma Committee) reviewed the working of Fundamental Duties laws in 1999 — it studied them but did not recommend their original insertion.