What is the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution known as?
Asked by: Nigel Bogan | Last update: March 12, 2026Score: 4.1/5 (28 votes)
The 42nd Amendment of the Constitution of India (1976) is widely known as the "Mini-Constitution" because it introduced extensive changes, adding terms like 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' to the Preamble, establishing Fundamental Duties, and significantly altering the powers of the legislature and judiciary, making it one of the most comprehensive amendments ever enacted, notes Wikipedia.
What is the meaning of the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution?
The 42nd Amendment also added a new section to the Article on "Fundamental Duties" in the Constitution. The new section required citizens "to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood among all the people of India, transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities."
What is the difference between the 42nd and 44th Amendment?
Ans. The 42nd Amendment significantly expanded executive powers and restricted civil liberties, while the 44th Amendment aimed to restore democratic principles, limit executive authority, and safeguard Fundamental Rights.
Why is the 42nd constitutional amendment considered the most controversial Amendment?
The 42nd Amendment also had a profound impact on the judiciary. It curtailed the power of the courts to review and invalidate laws passed by the Parliament. This was done by amending Articles 32, 131, and 226, which limited the judiciary's role in checking the constitutionality of laws.
What are the major changes in the 42nd Amendment?
42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976
Also known as the constitution act, 1976, this act made the following changes in the constitution: Reduce the power of the supreme court and the high court. Laid down fundamental duties for citizens. Terms- socialist, secular and integrity were added to the Preamble.
The Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976. Decoded By Shagun Pahwa | Indian Polity
What are the two phrases that were brought through the 42nd Amendment?
The 42nd Amendment Act: It was enacted by Indian National Congress headed by Indira Gandhi. Words 'Socialist', 'Secular' and 'Integrity' were added in Preamble. The 42nd Amendment Act is also known as 'Mini-Constitution'.
What was the last Amendment to be changed?
Constitutional Amendments – Amendment 27 – “Financial Compensation for the Congress” Amendment Twenty-seven to the Constitution was ratified on May 7, 1992. It forbids any changes to the salary of Congress members from taking effect until the next election concludes.
What is the most misunderstood amendment?
609 (2021). Abstract: The Eleventh Amendment might be the most misunderstood amendment to the Constitution.
What is the hardest Constitution to amend?
Far from being a badge of honor, the distinction of topping the global charts on constitutional rigidity is cause for alarm. Ancient and virtually impervious to amendment, the United States Constitution has withstood all modern efforts to renovate its outdated architecture on elections, federalism, rights, and beyond.
What is the most controversial constitutional amendment?
The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 is one of the most significant and controversial amendments to the Constitution of India, often referred to as the “Mini Constitution” due to the extensive and wide-ranging changes it introduced.
What was deleted by the 44th Amendment?
[Editorial Comment - Article 31 of the Indian Constitution was repealed and replaced by the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act in 1978. The original Article 31 dealt with the right to property, but it was repealed and replaced by Article 300A.
Who proposed the 42nd Amendment?
The 42nd Amendment Act was enacted by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. It transformed India from a unitary system of governance to a federal one. This amendment effectively changed the “Indian Union” into a federation with three federal systems of government in addition to the Indian Union.
How many times has the Constitution been amended?
As of July 2025, there have been 106 amendments of the Constitution of India since it was first enacted in 1950. The Indian Constitution is the most amended national constitution in the world.
What word was added to the Constitution through the 42nd Amendment where?
The words "socialist" and "secular" were inserted into the Preamble of the Indian Constitution by the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 during the Emergency period under the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Which directive principle was added by the 42nd Amendment?
Three new DPSPs (Directive Principles of State Policy) were added to the existing list of DPSPs and one was amended: To secure opportunities for the healthy development of children (Article 39) To promote equal justice and to provide free legal aid to the poor (Article 39 A)
What changes were made by the 42 Amendment to the Preamble?
The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976: A Significant Shift
The 42nd Amendment, often dubbed the "Mini-Constitution" due to its extensive changes, was enacted during the Emergency. It fundamentally altered the Preamble by adding three new words: 'Socialist,' 'Secular,' and 'Integrity.
What is the least useful amendment?
The Third Amendment seems to have no direct constitutional relevance at present; indeed, not only is it the least litigated amendment in the Bill of Rights, but the Supreme Court has never decided a case on the basis of it.
Why is amending the Constitution so difficult in Canada?
Major constitutional amendment also requires conformity with extra-textual requirements imposed by Supreme Court decisions interpreting the Constitution of Canada, parliamentary and provincial as well as territorial statutes, and arguably also by constitutional conventions — additional rules that may well make major ...
Who cannot amend the Constitution?
But the president cannot repeal part of the Constitution by executive order. And Congress cannot repeal it by simply passing a new bill. Amending the Constitution would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, and also ratification by three-quarters of the states.
Is the 7th amendment still $20 dollars?
Yes, the Seventh Amendment's "$20" threshold for federal civil jury trials technically still exists in the Constitution, but it's functionally ignored due to inflation, meaning it doesn't really apply to modern cases; it applies to federal civil cases, not state ones, and the real minimum for federal court jurisdiction is now much higher (often $75,000). The $20 back in 1791 was significant, but today it's tiny, so courts focus on larger disputes, effectively making the $20 clause obsolete in practice, though it hasn't been formally removed.
What are two things the First Amendment doesn't protect you from?
As a general rule, lies are protected, with limited exceptions such as defamation, fraud, false advertising, perjury, and lying under oath during an official government proceeding. Even deliberate lies about the government are fully protected. Hate speech is not a general exception to First Amendment protection.
What are the 3 new amendments?
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah today introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha.
What amendment took the longest to pass?
The Twenty-seventh Amendment.
Can a President change the Constitution?
The Constitution does not give a president the power to violate the Constitution, create or change congressional statutes, or override U.S. Supreme Court decisions—no matter what the EOs say.