RAS question
The Preamble of the Indian Constitution declares India as a 'Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic'. Which constitutional amendment introduced the words 'Socialist' and 'Secular'?
Correct answer: (A) 42nd Amendment, 1976.
The words "Socialist" and "Secular" were added to the Preamble by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976.
Explanation
The 42nd Amendment, 1976 added "Socialist" and "Secular" to the Preamble. The Act is formally titled the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976, and section 2 is headed "Amendment of the Preamble". Section 2 provided that, in the Preamble, the words "SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC" were to be replaced by "SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC". "Socialist" and "Secular" therefore entered the Preamble through this amendment. This amendment is often remembered in exams because it was passed during the Emergency period under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and is commonly called the "Mini-Constitution" because of the scale of its constitutional changes.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The 73rd Amendment, 1992 is not the amending Act for this Preamble change; the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976 amended the Preamble.
- (C) The 1st Amendment, 1951 cannot be the answer here because the Preamble amendment is expressly contained in section 2 of the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976.
- (D) The 44th Amendment, 1978 did not make this change; the substitution of the Preamble wording belongs to the 42nd Amendment, 1976.
Concept
The Preamble and major constitutional amendments are recurring RAS areas because the Preamble is often linked with amendment history and constitutional values. The 42nd Amendment is especially examinable because it altered the Preamble's core descriptive formula.