Amendments — Set 7

Correct Answer: B. 42nd Amendment

• **42nd Amendment (1976)** = is the only amendment that has ever changed the Preamble, by inserting 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' — making the Preamble read as 'Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic'. • **Unique change** — the Preamble has been amended exactly once in India's constitutional history; its amendability was affirmed in Kesavananda Bharati (1973) and confirmed by the 42nd Amendment. • 💡 Option A (24th Amendment) affirmed Parliament's power to amend Fundamental Rights — it did not touch the Preamble. Option C (1st Amendment) added the Ninth Schedule — not the Preamble. Option D (44th Amendment) reversed many 42nd Amendment changes but did NOT reverse the Preamble changes — the words 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' remain in the Preamble to this day.

Correct Answer: A. 44th Amendment

• **44th Amendment (1978)** = deleted the Right to Property as a Fundamental Right by repealing Articles 19(1)(f) and 31, and moved it to Article 300-A as a mere legal right. • **Article 300-A** — a person cannot be deprived of property save by authority of law; but unlike a Fundamental Right, it cannot be enforced via Article 32 (writ jurisdiction of the Supreme Court). • 💡 Option B (25th Amendment) only curtailed the right to compensation for property — it did not delete the right itself from FRs. Option C (24th Amendment) affirmed Parliament's power to amend FRs but did not specifically target property rights. Option D (42nd Amendment) added Fundamental Duties and modified the Preamble — it was the 44th Amendment that actually deleted property as a Fundamental Right.

Correct Answer: B. 52nd Amendment

• **52nd Amendment (1985)** = added the Tenth Schedule (Anti-Defection Law) to disqualify legislators who voluntarily give up party membership or vote/abstain contrary to party direction. • **Decided by Speaker/Chairman** — the question of disqualification is decided by the Speaker of Lok Sabha or Chairman of Rajya Sabha, whose decision is subject to judicial review (held in Kihoto Hollohan case). • 💡 Option A (61st Amendment) reduced the voting age to 18 in 1988 — not connected to party defections. Option C (51st Amendment) amended the definition of 'backward classes' for reservations in certain states. Option D (42nd Amendment) introduced Fundamental Duties and was the 'Mini Constitution' — none of these added the Anti-Defection Law.

Correct Answer: B. 61st Amendment

• **61st Amendment (1988)** = amended Article 326 to reduce the minimum voting age from 21 to 18 years for elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. • **Effect from 1989** — the reduced voting age first applied in the 1989 General Elections, significantly expanding the electorate by adding millions of young first-time voters. • 💡 Option A (73rd Amendment) gave constitutional status to Panchayats in 1992 — unrelated to voting age. Option C (86th Amendment) made education a Fundamental Right in 2002. Option D (69th Amendment) designated Delhi as NCT in 1991 — none of these reduced the voting age from 21 to 18.

Correct Answer: D. 73rd Amendment

• **73rd Amendment (1992)** = inserted Part IX (Articles 243–243O) to give constitutional status to Panchayats and mandated a three-tier Panchayati Raj system across India. • **Eleventh Schedule** — lists 29 subjects (e.g., agriculture, land improvement, rural housing, education, public health) that State governments may assign to Panchayats. • 💡 Option A (74th Amendment) gave constitutional status to Municipalities (urban local bodies), not Panchayats (rural). Option B (42nd Amendment) is the 'Mini Constitution' of 1976. Option C (69th Amendment) designated Delhi as NCT — none of these gave constitutional status to Panchayats.

Correct Answer: C. Land Reform Laws

• **1st Amendment (1951)** = primarily enacted to protect land reform and zamindari abolition laws from being struck down by courts under Fundamental Rights challenges. • **Ninth Schedule** — laws placed in the Ninth Schedule were originally totally immune from judicial review; the IR Coelho case (2007) held that laws added after April 1973 can be reviewed if they violate basic structure. • 💡 Option A (Right to Education) — this was addressed by the 86th Amendment (2002) — the 1st Amendment had nothing to do with education rights. Option B (Rights of Minorities) — minority rights under Article 30 were not the focus of the 1st Amendment. Option D (Freedom of Press) — the 1st Amendment actually added restrictions to free speech; it was not enacted primarily to protect press freedom.

Correct Answer: B. 101st Amendment

• **101st Amendment (2016)** = introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as a unified indirect tax replacing central excise, service tax, state VAT, entry tax, and several other levies. • **GST Council (Article 279A)** — the amendment created this constitutional body with Union Finance Minister as Chair and state finance ministers as members to recommend GST rates and policies. • 💡 Option A (103rd Amendment) provides 10% EWS reservation — unrelated to taxation. Option C (102nd Amendment) gave NCBC constitutional status. Option D (100th Amendment) operationalised the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement — none of these introduced GST.

Correct Answer: D. Right to Education

• **86th Amendment (2002)** = dealt with the Right to Education by inserting Article 21A, making free and compulsory education a Fundamental Right for children aged 6 to 14. • **RTE Act 2009** — the enabling legislation under Article 21A; it mandates 25% seats in private unaided schools for disadvantaged children and prohibits capitation fees and screening of children. • 💡 Option A (Right to Privacy) was declared a Fundamental Right by the Supreme Court in K.S. Puttaswamy case (2017) — not by any amendment. Option B (Right to Work) is not a constitutional Fundamental Right in India. Option C (Right to Information) is a statutory right under RTI Act 2005 — not inserted as a Fundamental Right by any amendment.

Correct Answer: D. 100th Amendment

• **100th Amendment (2015)** = operationalised the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh, involving the exchange of 162 enclaves and the acquisition/cession of certain territories. • **Modified First Schedule** — India acquired 51 Bangladeshi enclaves and transferred 111 Indian enclaves to Bangladesh; the First Schedule of the Constitution was modified to reflect these territorial changes. • 💡 Option A (99th Amendment) established the NJAC for judicial appointments — unrelated to Bangladesh borders. Option B (102nd Amendment) gave constitutional status to NCBC. Option C (101st Amendment) introduced GST — none of these concern the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement.

Correct Answer: D. 15%

• **91st Amendment (2003)** = restricted the total number of ministers (including PM) in the Union Council of Ministers to 15% of the Lok Sabha's total strength, and applied the same limit to State Assemblies. • **Minimum floor** — even states with small assemblies must have at least 12 ministers; this prevents the 15% rule from creating an impractically small cabinet for smaller states. • 💡 Option A (10%) is incorrect — the cap is 15%, not 10%; no amendment fixes 10% as the cabinet size limit. Option B (12%) is the minimum floor for states, not the percentage cap — this is a common confusion. Option C (20%) is also incorrect — no amendment sets a 20% ceiling on the Council of Ministers.