SSC CGL Polity · Indian Constitution — Making, Foundation and Amendments
Constitutional Amendments
The 42nd Amendment and everything it added, and the other amendments SSC asks about by number: the 43rd, 44th, 86th, 101st and a few more.
Why this matters
Fifteen questions in the bank: seven from the 2023 shifts, three from the 2024 shifts and five from the 2025 shifts, and 12 of them EASY. Eight of the fifteen are about the 42nd Amendment alone, so learn its list of changes first; the others ask one amendment for one change.
Concept 1 of 2: The 42nd Amendment (1976)
Definition
The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, the Mini-Constitution, on the advice of the Swaran Singh Committee:
- Added Fundamental Duties: a new Part IV-A (Article 51A) with ten duties.
- Added the words Socialist, Secular and Integrity to the Preamble.
- Added four Directive Principles: 39(f) (children), 39A (free legal aid), 43A (workers in management) and 48A (environment and wildlife).
- Moved education, forests, weights and measures, wild animals and the administration of justice out of the State List and into the Concurrent List.
- Inserted Article 131A (the Supreme Court alone to judge central laws), which the 43rd Amendment (1977) removed.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 1 · Indian Constitution — Making, Foundation and Amendments · Constitutional Amendments
Article 131A was for the Supreme Court
Concept 2 of 2: Other amendments to remember
Definition
The amendments:
- 44th (1978): took the right to property out of Part III and made it an ordinary legal right (Article 300A). It also made sure Articles 20 and 21 cannot be suspended in an emergency.
- 52nd (1985): anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule).
- 73rd (1992): Panchayati Raj.
- 86th (2002): Article 21A: every child aged 6 to 14 gets a Fundamental Right to free, compulsory schooling.
- 97th (2011): co-operative societies (Part IXB).
- 101st (2016): GST and the GST Council (Article 279A).
- 102nd: made the National Commission for Backward Classes a constitutional body. 103rd: the 10% EWS reservation.
On the amending process itself, K. C. Wheare wrote that 'this variety in the amending process is wise but is rarely found'.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 2 · Indian Constitution — Making, Foundation and Amendments · Constitutional Amendments
Property is a legal right, not abolished
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (2)
Watch out for (2)
- Article 131A was for the Supreme Court→ The 42nd Amendment (1976)
- Property is a legal right, not abolished→ Other amendments to remember
Test yourself on Indian Constitution — Making, Foundation and Amendments
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.