AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION: PROTECTING INDIA’S CORE VALUES |
- Amendment of the Constitution of India is the process of making changes to the nation’s fundamental law or supreme law. The procedure of Amendment of the Constitution is laid down in Part XX (Article 368)
- The procedure for amending the Constitution is neither flexible (Britain) nor rigid (USA). It is synthesis of both. It states that Parliament may amend the Constitution but can’t amend those provisions which form basic structure of the Constitution (Kesavananda Bharti case, 1973)
- Feature borrowed from South Africa.
- Article 368 has been amended by the 24th and 42nd Amendments in 1971 and 1976 respectively.
| Also Read: CENTRAL & STATE COUNCIL OF MINISTER: ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES |
| IMPORTANT JUDGEMENT: Kesavananda Bharati Case 1973, Supreme Court ruled that Parliament cannot alter the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution |
AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION PROCESS IN INDIA: KEY STEPS & REQUIREMENTS
| Introduction of bills | Amendment bill can be introduced only in either house of parliament. |
| Who can introduce? | Either by a minister or private member. |
| President’s role in introduction of bill | Prior permission of President is not required to introduce the bill. |
| Type of Majority | Special Majority – Majority of the total membership of that house + by a majority of not less than 2/3 of the members of that house present and voting. (50% + 2/3 of P&V) |
| Bill in houses | Both the houses need to pass the bill with special majority. |
| Joint seating (Art. 108) | There is no provision for a joint sitting in case of disagreement between the two Houses. |
| Amending federal provisions | Special majority + ratification by the legislatures of half of the states by a simple majority. |
| Role of President in assenting the bill | 24th Amendment of the Constitution — It also amended article 368 to provide expressly that Parliament has power to amend any provision of the Constitution. The amendment further made it obligatory for the President to give his assent, when a Amendment of the Constitution Bill was presented to him. |
| Role of state legislature in introducing bill | State legislature cannot introduce such bill. |
| Also Read: FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES: UNDERSTANDING INDIA’S VALUES & RESPONSIBILITIES |
AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION: VOTING PROCESSES & EXAMPLES
| Simple Majority | Special Majority | Special Majority of parliament & Consent of States |
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CONSTITUTIONAL MAJORITY REQUIREMENTS: KEY DECISIONS IN INDIA
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Simple Majority |
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Special Majority |
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Special Majority + Ratification of States |
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| Also Read: DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY: DEFINITION, BALANCING RIGHTS, AND CONSTITUTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE |
RECENT CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES: KEY AMENDMENTS & IMPACTS
| 99th Amendment 2014 | Formation of a National Judicial Appointments Commission. |
| 100th Amendment 2015 | Related to the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh. |
| 101th Amendment 2017 | Introduced the Goods and Services Tax in the country since 1 July 2017. |
| 102th Amendment 2018 | Constitutional status to National Commission for Backward Classes. |
| 103th Amendment 2019 | Provided a maximum of 10% Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs). |
| 104th Amendment 2020 | Extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and states assemblies. |
FLAWS IN AMENDMENT PROCESS: LACK OF STATE INPUT & PROCEDURAL CLARITY
States cannot initiate the amendment (Only parliament can) + States have only one way to propose the amendment i.e. create the legislative council in the state + Constitution does not mention the time within which state legislatures ratify or reject the amendment + Constitution is also silent on whether the states can withdraw their approval once given + no provision for a special body + Only in few cases, the consent of the state legislatures is required + No provision for holding a joint sitting + wide scope for taking the matters to the judiciary due to vague provisions.
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