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Glossary Terms
| Term (EN) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Structure | Essential features of Constitution Parliament cannot destroy | Kesavananda Bharati (1973) |
| Article 368 | Procedure for constitutional amendment | Constitution |
| Special majority | Absolute majority of membership + 2/3 of voting members | Art 368 |
| Absolute majority | Majority of total membership (not just present) | Art 368 |
| 9th Schedule | List of laws immune from FR challenge (added 1951) | 1st Amendment |
| 10th Schedule | Anti-defection provisions added by 52nd Amendment | 52nd Amendment |
| 11th Schedule | 29 functions of Panchayati Raj institutions | 73rd Amendment |
| 12th Schedule | 18 functions of Urban Local Bodies | 74th Amendment |
| Constituent power | Power to make or amend the Constitution | Art 368 |
| Judicial review | Power of courts to review constitutionality of laws/actions | Art 13, 32, 226 |
| Prospective overruling | SC ruling to apply only to future cases, protecting past vested rights | Golak Nath (1967) |
| Collegium system | SC judges' panel that recommends judicial appointments | Second Judges' Case (1993) |
| NJAC | Commission for judicial appointments, struck down 2015 | 99th Amendment |
| GST Council | Federal body with Centre + States to decide GST rates | Art 279A (101st Amend.) |
| EWS reservation | 10% reservation for economically weaker sections | Art 15(6), 16(6) |
| Anti-defection law | Disqualification for switching parties; 10th Schedule | 52nd Amendment (1985) |
| Article 300A | Legal right to property (not fundamental right) after 44th Amendment | 44th Amendment |
| Harmonious construction | Interpretive approach to reconcile FRs and DPSPs | Minerva Mills (1980) |
| Privy purses | Annual payments to former rulers of princely states, abolished 1971 | 26th Amendment |
| Article 370 | Special status for J&K, abrogated 2019, upheld SC Dec 2023 | Constitutional history |