Constitution Amendment in India

Contents: Preface. 1. Constitution Amendment: nature and scope of amending process. 2. The Constitution Amendment Acts (first to seventy-sixth): objects and reasons and synopses. 3. The Constitution Amendment Acts (first to seventy-sixth): legislative history thereof. 4. Constitution Amendment Bills--removed, lapsed, withdrawn or negatived--legislative history--thereof. Annexures: 1. Texts of the Constitution Amendment Acts (first to seventy-sixth). 2. Texts of the Constitution Amendment Bills--removed, lapsed, withdrawn or negatived. 3. Table showing the provisions of the Constitution Amended by the Amendment Acts (first to seventy-sixth). 4. Table showing the number of the Constitution Amendment Bills, as introduced vis-a-vis the number of the Constitution Amendment Acts, as passed and status of bills--if removed, lapsed, withdrawn or negatived.

"Conscious of the fact that our Constitution was the product of socio-economic forces operating at the time of its enactment, the founding fathers bestowed upon the Parliament the powers under article 368 of the Constitution to amend it with a view to bringing it in tune with the changing needs and aspirations of the people.

"Since we adopted the Constitution in 1950, this amending process has been working like a 'safety valve' and has helped in reconciling with the requisites for peace and progress.

"This publication is a well documented study on the nature, scope and operation of amending process of the Constitution of India. It contains a brief legislative history and a synopsis of each of the Constitution Amendment Act enacted till August 1994. A brief legislative history of the amending bills which were either lapsed or withdrawn or removed or negatived after their introduction also forms part of the study. The texts of these acts and bills have been reproduced in full in the annexure. Two separate annexures give statements showing the provisions of the Constitution amended by various Amendment Acts and the number of the Constitution Amendment Bills, as introduced vis-a-vis the number of the Constitution Amendment Acts as passed and status of bills if removed, lapsed, withdrawn or negatived.

"It is hoped that the study would be useful not only for Parliamentarians but for all those interested in constitutional studies." (jacket)