42nd Amendment Act, 1976 is one of the most important amendments to the Indian Constitution. It was enacted by Indian National Congress headed by Indira Gandhi then. Due to the large number of amendments this act has brought to the Indian Constitution, it is also known as ‘Mini-Constitution.’ The topic ‘42nd Amendment Act’ also called The Constitution Act, 1976 is significant for IAS Exam as it is an essential part of UPSC Political Science for Prelims, Mains GS-II, and also Political Science optional papers.
This article will answer a few questions related to the forty-second amendment of the constitution of India that can help IAS aspirants in understanding various sections of Polity for civil services examination.It will also define relation between 42nd Amendment Act 1976 and 44th Amendment Act 1978.
What is 42nd Amendment Act?
Our Indian Constitution is unique for its content and spirit. The Constitution of India decides the rule of the land and is taken as supreme law of the land. The constituent assembly that was behind formulating our constitution has also given scope for amendments in it with time. Hence, the Indian Constitution of what it is today has undergone substantive changes on account of several amendments. The act also called The Constitution Act, 1976 is termed as one of the most controversial acts in the history of amendments to Indian Constitution. It amended/ introduced various provisions given below:
- Attempted to reduce the power of the Supreme Court and High Courts
- Laid down Fundamental Duties for citizens
- Terms- Socialist, Secular, and Integrity added to the Preamble
