Amendments to Indian Constitution - Detailed notes of all amendments 1-20

Amendments to Indian Constitution - Detailed notes of all amendments. As of March 2025, the Constitution of India has been amended 106 times. 

The Prime Minister who made the most amendments to the Indian Constitution was Indira Gandhi.

• Total Amendments During Her Tenure: 28 (from 24th Amendment in 1971 to 52nd Amendment in 1985)
• Key Amendments:
  • 24th Amendment (1971): Gave Parliament power to amend Fundamental Rights.
  • 25th Amendment (1971): Reduced property rights to a legal right.
  • 42nd Amendment (1976) – "Mini Constitution": Made major changes, including adding "Socialist" & "Secular" to the Preamble, curbing judicial review, and strengthening central government powers.
  • 44th Amendment (1978) – Reversed Some 42nd Amendment Changes (by Morarji Desai after Indira Gandhi lost in 1977).

Indira Gandhi’s tenure saw the most constitutional changes, especially during the Emergency period (1975-77).

The most amended part of the Indian Constitution is Part III – Fundamental Rights and Part XII – Finance, Property, Contracts, and Suits.

1. Part III – Fundamental Rights

• Most amended provisions:
  • Right to Property (Article 31) – Amended multiple times and eventually removed as a Fundamental Right by the 44th Amendment (1978).
  • Right to Equality (Article 15 & 16) – Amended for reservation policies (e.g., SC/ST, OBC, and EWS reservations).
  • Right to Education (Article 21A) – Added by the 86th Amendment (2002).

2. Part XII – Finance, Property, Contracts, and Suits

• Most amended provisions:
  • Article 368 (Power of Parliament to Amend the Constitution) – Modified several times, especially by the 24th, 42nd, and 44th Amendments.
  • GST Introduction (101st Amendment, 2016) – Transformed India’s taxation system.

Other Heavily Amended Parts:

• Part IX – Panchayati Raj and Part IXA – Urban Local Bodies were introduced by the 73rd & 74th Amendments (1992) and have undergone modifications.

1st Amendment (1951)

1. Added Ninth Schedule to protect land reform and other laws from judicial review.
2. Restricted freedom of speech and expression by adding reasonable restrictions.
3. Provided for reservation in educational institutions for socially and educationally backward classes.

2nd Amendment (1952)

• Changed the scale of representation in Lok Sabha by adjusting the population-based representation.
• Made delimitation of constituencies independent of the census.

3rd Amendment (1954)

• Revised Schedule 7, changing the distribution of powers between the Centre and the States.
• Expanded the definition of "Essential Commodities" under the Concurrent List.

4th Amendment (1955)

• Further strengthened land reforms by limiting property rights.
• Expanded Ninth Schedule to include more laws, protecting them from judicial review.
• Allowed the government to fix fair compensation for acquiring property rather than paying market rates.

5th Amendment (1955)

• Empowered the President to alter Scheduled Areas in states after consulting the concerned Governor.
• Made provisions for better administration of Scheduled Tribes and their welfare.

6th Amendment (1956)

• Amended the Union and State Lists to expand the Centre’s power to levy duties and taxes on goods moving across states.
• Strengthened Centre’s control over interstate trade and commerce.

7th Amendment (1956)

• Reorganized states and territories based on language and administration.
• Abolished the classification of states into Part A, B, C, and D states and introduced Union Territories.
• Fixed the maximum number of seats in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies.

8th Amendment (1960)

• Extended the reservation of SC/ST seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for another 10 years (originally set to expire in 1960).

9th Amendment (1960)

• Facilitated the transfer of Berubari Union to Pakistan as part of the Indo-Pak Agreement.
• Adjusted the territorial boundaries of India and Pakistan.

10th Amendment (1961)

• Incorporated the territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli into the Indian Union as a Union Territory.
  

11th Amendment (1961)

Changed the procedure for the election of the Vice President.

Allowed an indirect election where members of both Houses of Parliament vote.

 12th Amendment (1962)

• Incorporated Goa, Daman, and Diu into the Indian Union as a Union Territory after they were liberated from Portuguese rule.

13th Amendment (1962)

• Granted Nagaland statehood with special protection under Article 371A.

14th Amendment (1962)

• Added Pondicherry (Puducherry), Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam as Union Territories after their merger with India.
• Provided representation for Union Territories in Parliament.

15th Amendment (1963)

• Increased the retirement age of High Court judges from 60 to 62 years.
• Allowed High Court judges to move to the Supreme Court after retirement.
• Empowered High Courts to issue writs to any person or authority, even outside their jurisdiction.

16th Amendment (1963)

• Strengthened restrictions on fundamental rights related to sovereignty and integrity.
• Required candidates for elections, government jobs, and legislative positions to take an oath of allegiance to India's sovereignty and integrity.

17th Amendment (1964)

• Added more land reform laws to the Ninth Schedule, protecting them from judicial review.
• Further curtailed right to property in land acquisition cases.

18th Amendment (1966)

• Clarified the powers of the President regarding the administration of Union Territories.

19th Amendment (1966)

• Abolished Election Tribunals and transferred their power to High Courts.

20th Amendment (1966)

• Validated the appointment of judges who were previously appointed unconstitutionally under the Provisional Judges (Amendment) Act, 1966.

* Constitution Amendments - 1-20 |  21- 40 | 41- 60 | 61- 80 | 81 - 106 |