Which two words have been incorporated in the Preamble by 42nd Amendment ?
Secular and socialist
The 42nd Amendment of 1976 inserted the words “socialist” and “secular” — option 4.
What the Preamble said before and after. The original Preamble of 1950 described India as a “SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC”. The 42nd Amendment changed this to “SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC”, and in the same operation altered “unity of the Nation” to “unity and integrity of the Nation”.
| Word | In the original Preamble ? |
|---|---|
| Sovereign | Yes |
| Socialist | No — added in 1976 |
| Secular | No — added in 1976 |
| Democratic | Yes |
| Republic | Yes |
The other three options each pair one added word with one original word, so they are half right — which is what makes them effective distractors. Only option 4 names both additions.
Three amendments in one. This is the only occasion on which the Preamble has ever been amended, and the 42nd Amendment is called the “Mini-Constitution” because of its sweep: passed during the Emergency, it made some fifty-nine changes, added the Fundamental Duties in Part IVA, added three words to the Preamble, and extended the life of the Lok Sabha. Much of it was reversed by the 43rd and 44th Amendments after 1977, but the Preamble changes remained.
A point of law. In Kesavananda Bharati (1973) the Supreme Court held that the Preamble is a part of the Constitution and can be amended, but not so as to destroy its basic structure — and secularism has since been held, in S. R. Bommai (1994), to be part of that basic structure. Whether that quality was created by the 1976 insertion or merely made explicit by it is a separate question; the Court has taken the view that the Constitution was secular in substance from the beginning.
Hence, the answer is Secular and socialist.
Which Amendment to the Constitution abolished the two seats that were reserved for the Anglo-Indian community ?
What is the position of representation of Anglo-Indian Community in Lok Sabha ?
Which of the following are matters on which a constitutional amendment is possible only with the ratification of the legislature of not less than one-half of the states ?
1. Election of the President.
2. Representation of States in Parliament.
3. Any of the lists in the 7th Schedule.
4. Abolition of the Legislative Council of a State.
Choose the correct answer.
Which Article of the Indian Constitution deals with the proclamation of Emergency ?
Which one of the following Schedule of the Constitution of India contains provisions regarding Anti-defection Act ?
A British Citizen staying in India can not claim right to
Which article of Indian constitution is related with Official language of the Union?
In which year was the Indian ‘Wildlife (Protection) Act’ implemented?
Which article of the Indian constitution was called the 'heart and soul' of the constitution by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar?
In 1946, who among the following was made the interim president of the Indian Constituent Assembly ?
Who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India?