Top 12 amendments every UPSC aspirant must know.
- 1st CAA, 1951. (Land reform & free speech restrictions)
Added 9th Schedule (laws placed here cannot be challenged in court). Added "reasonable restrictions" to Art 19 (freedom of speech). Enabled land reform laws. Added Art 15(4) reservations for socially backward classes.
- 7th CAA, 1956. (States reorganisation on linguistic basis)
Abolished Part A, B, C, D states. Created new categories- States & Union Territories. Implemented States Reorganisation Act 1956 recommendations.
- 24th CAA, 1971. (Parliament's power to amend Fundamental Rights)
Overturned Golak Nath case (1967) verdict. Affirmed Parliament CAN amend Fundamental Rights under Art 368. Made Presidential assent mandatory for constitutional amendment bills.
- 42nd CAA, 1976. (Mini Constitution: most sweeping amendment)
Added "Socialist, Secular, Integrity" to Preamble. Added Fundamental Duties (Art 51A). Created Art 368(4) that states courts cannot question constitutional amendments. Extended Lok Sabha & state assembly terms to 6 years. Added 10 new subjects to Concurrent List. Made Directive Principles (Part IV) superior to Fundamental Rights.
- 44th CAA, 1978. (Restored rights curtailed by 42nd Amendment)
Restored Lok Sabha & assembly term back to 5 years. Removed Right to Property from Fundamental Rights (Art 19f, 31) made it a legal right under Art 300A. Restored primacy of Fundamental Rights over Directive Principles. Made Art 20 & 21 non-suspendable even during Emergency.
- 52nd CAA 1985. (Anti-defection law)
Added 10th Schedule to the Constitution. Members disqualified if they voluntarily give up party membership or vote against party whip. Decision by Speaker/Chairman subject to judicial review (Kihoto Hollohan case, 1993).
- 61st CAA, 1988. (Voting age reduced)
Reduced voting age from 21 to 18 years. Amended Art 326.
- 73rd CAA, 1992. (Panchayati Raj was granted constitutional status)
Added Part IX & 11th Schedule. 3-tier Panchayati Raj system — Gram, Block, District. 1/3 reservation for women. 5-year term. State Finance Commission & State Election Commission mandatory. 29 subjects transferred.
- 74th CAA, 1992. (Urban Local Bodies got constitutional status)
Added Part IX-A & 12th Schedule. Municipalities - Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council, Municipal Corporation. 1/3 reservation for women. 18 subjects transferred. Ward Committees for cities over 3 lakh population.
- 86th CAA, 2002. (Right to Education)
Added Art 21A - free & compulsory education for children 6–14 years (Fundamental Right). Added Art 45 - state shall provide early childhood care for children below 6. Added Art 51A(k) - parent's duty to provide education to children.
- 101st CAA, 2016. (GST)
Introduced GST regime. Added Art 246A - concurrent power to Parliament & state legislatures to make laws on GST. Created GST Council. Subsumed multiple central & state taxes. IGST for inter-state trade.
- 103rd CAA, 2019. (10% EWS reservation)
Added Art 15(6) & 16(6). 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in education & government jobs. For those NOT covered by existing SC/ST/OBC reservations. Upheld by Supreme Court in 2022 (Janhit Abhiyan case).