Polity Important Constitutional Amendments
Polity | Constitutional Amendments – 60-Minute Revision Sheet
(For RRB NTPC/Group-D/ALP Stage-2)
🔖 1. Must-Know 5 W’s
- What: “Formal change in Constitution under Art 368”
- Who: Parliament alone (Rajya Sabha + Lok Sabha)
- When: 1951 → 105 amendments so far (latest: 105th, 2021)
- Where: 3 routes – Simple majority / Special majority / Special + ≥½ States ratification
- Why: Remove difficulties, reflect socio-political needs
⚡ 2. Mega-List (Top 20) – Click to Expand
Chronological Quick Table – Amendment, Year, 1-Line Impact
| # | Year | 1-Line Impact | Exam-Friendly Hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1951 | 9th Schedule to protect land-reform laws | “1-9 Land” |
| 7th | 1956 | Re-organisation of States on linguistic basis | “7 States” |
| 10th | 1961 | Dadra-N-Haveli → UT | “10 Dad” |
| 12th | 1962 | Goa-Daman-Diu → UT | “12 Goa” |
| 13th | 1962 | Nagaland state + Art 371A | “13 Nag” |
| 21st | 1967 | Sindhi as official language | “21 Sindhi” |
| 24th | 1971 | Curtail judicial review; Art 13(4) inserted | “24 Court-cut” |
| 25th | 1971 | Right to Property ceases as FR; Art 31C | “25 Property-out” |
| 26th | 1971 | Abolish Privy Purses | “26 Prince-out” |
| 31st | 1973 | Increase EC seats freeze till 2001 | “31 Seats till 2001” |
| 36th | 1975 | Sikkim becomes Associate State | “36 Sik-Associate” |
| 38th | 1975 | Emergency powers; President rule Art 352 | “38 Emergency” |
| 42nd | 1976 | Mini-Constitution; add “Socialist Secular” to Preamble | “42 Mini” |
| 44th | 1978 | Right to Property as legal right; Art 300A | “44 Property-Legal” |
| 52nd | 1985 | Anti-defection law (10th Schedule) | “52 Defect-Killer” |
| 61st | 1988 | Voting age 18-21 yrs | “61 Vote-18” |
| 69th | 1991 | Delhi → National Capital Territory | “69 Dilli-UT” |
| 73rd | 1992 | Panchayati Raj (Part-IX) | “73 Gram-Sabha” |
| 74th | 1992 | Municipalities (Part-IXA) | “74 Nagar-Raj” |
| 86th | 2002 | Right to Education 6-14 yrs; Art 21A | “86 School-RTE” |
| 92nd | 2003 | Free & compulsory education for 0-6 yrs in DPSP | “92 Tiny-Tots” |
| 97th | 2011 | Cooperative societies as Art 43B | “97 Co-op” |
| 101st | 2016 | GST; Art 279A → GST Council | “101 One-Tax” |
| 103rd | 2019 | 10% EWS reservation; Art 15(6), 16(6) | “103 EWS-10” |
| 104th | 2020 | Reservation of SC/ST in Lok/State extended till 2030 | “104 Res-2030” |
| 105th | 2021 | State list → Concurrent list: “Co-operative societies” | “105 Shift-List” |
🧠 3. Memory Hacks
- 1-9 Land → 1st amend → 9th Sched → land laws
- 7 States → 7th = States re-org
- 42 = 4+2 = “Mini” (biggest ever)
- 73-74 = “Double Panchayat” (rural + urban)
- 101 = “One-Tax” (GST)
🔢 4. Amendment Routes @ a Glance
| Route | Needs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple majority | RS+LS >50% present & voting | Creation/renaming of states (3rd) |
| Special majority | ≥2/3 members present & voting + ≥½ total membership | 24th, 42nd, 101st |
| Special + States ratification | Above + ≥½ State legislatures | Election of President (11th), 7th (Schedules), 61st (vote age) |
❓ 5. Likely MCQs (with hidden answers)
(Tap to check)
Q1. Which amendment added “Socialist & Secular” to the Preamble?
42nd Amendment, 1976
Q2. The 9th Schedule was inserted by which amendment?
1st Amendment, 1951
Q3. Voting age reduced from 21 to 18 years by –
61st Amendment, 1988
Q4. The Goods & Services Tax (GST) was introduced via –
101st Amendment, 2016
Q5. Which amendment is called “Mini Constitution”?
42nd Amendment
Q6. Right to Property was deleted from FR by –
44th Amendment, 1978 (Art 300A)
Q7. Anti-defection provisions are contained in the amendment –
52nd Amendment, 1985 (10th Schedule)
Q8. Which amendment created Panchayati Raj Institutions?
73rd Amendment, 1992
Q9. Sikkim was made a full-fledged state under –
36th → Associate (1975); 35th → full state (1975) (note: 36th first, 35th later – trick!)
Q10. The latest (105th) amendment deals with –
Moving “Co-operative societies” from State to Concurrent list
✔️ 6. One-Minute Checklist
- Preamble keywords – Socialist, Secular, Integrity (42nd)
- 9th Schedule purpose – shield land-reform laws
- 3 routes of amendment – Simple, Special, Special+States
- 42nd = Mini; 44th = Property out of FR
- 73-74 = Local self-govt twin; 101 = GST; 103 = 10% EWS
Revise → Recall → Rock the exam!
BETA
