Saturday 6 June 2020

Short notes: First Amendment of the Constitution of India


Act: The Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951,

Year enacted in: 1951,

Moved by: Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India.

Presented in Parliament: on 10 May 1951

Enacted by Parliament: on 18 June 1951

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Changes:

(i) several changes to the Fundamental Rights provisions of the Indian constitution.

(ii) provided against abuse of freedom of speech and expression,

(iii) validation of zamindari abolition laws, and

(iv) clarified that the right to equality does not bar the enactment of laws which provide "special consideration" for weaker sections of society.

(v) set the precedent of amending the Constitution to overcome judicial judgements impeding fulfilment of the government's perceived responsibilities to particular policies and programmes.

Freedom of speech: in 1st amendment a provision was made limiting Article 19(1)(a) of Constitution of India against "abuse of freedom of speech and expression". This was based on the landmark judgment in "Romesh Thappar vs The State Of Madras" on 26 May 1950.

The Parliament of India noted that in other countries with written constitutions, freedom of speech and of the press is not regarded as debarring the State from punishing or preventing abuse of this freedom.

Freedom of trade: The right of citizens of India to practice any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business conferred by article 19(1)(g) is subject to reasonable restrictions which the laws of the State may impose "in the interests of general public".

Upholding land reforms: Though the provisions of clauses (4) and (6) of article 31 were enacted but the validity of agrarian reform measures passed by the State Legislatures had formed the subject-matter of dilatory litigation. The result of which the implementation of these important measures, affecting large numbers of people, had been held up.

A new article 31A was introduced with retrospective effect to uphold such measures for implementation of provisions of clauses (4) and (6) of article 31.

Another new article 31B was introduced to validate 13 enactments relating to zamindari abolition.

Equality

It is laid down in Article 46 as a Directive Principle of State Policy that the State should promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people and protect them from social injustice.

In order that any special provision that the State may make for the educational, economic or social advancement of any backward class of citizens may not be challenged on the ground of being discriminatory, article 15(3) was suitably amplified.

Jawaharlal Nehru encouraged the Parliament of India to pass the amendment in response to State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan, which went before the Madras High Court and then the Supreme Court of India. In that case, a Brahmin woman in Madras challenged the state's Communal General Order, which established caste quotas in government-supported medical and engineering schools, on the grounds that it denied her equality under the law; both courts had upheld her petition.

Certain amendments in respect of articles dealing with the convening and proroguing of the sessions of Parliament were also incorporated in the Act. So also a few minor amendments in respect of articles 341, 342, 372, and 376.


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