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Constitutional Amendments - Short Trick

Majorities, ratification, basic-structure cases and amendments from the 1st to the 106th — one sentence each

1 trick sentences3 pairs7 parts
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How to read
  • Guru Ram Each coloured word = one name in the list, shown below in the same colour
  • Panda Two colours in one word = two names
  • ➜ Order the numbered order matters · ⇄ Any order no order
1

Procedure — Article 368

The three routes of amendment, and the provisions that also need half the States.

Pairs

Three kinds of majority

3 sentences

Simple dal pleased most people.

Simple majority (outside Art 368)=Majority of members present and voting · new States, boundaries, names (Arts 2, 3), Legislative Councils (Art 169), Second Schedule, quorum, number of SC judges, citizenship, elections, Fifth and Sixth Schedules, use of official language

A special door with two locks

Special majority=Majority of the total membership + two-thirds of those present and voting — both locks in each House separately · Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and everything else

Ratan needs half the class to agree too.

Ratification by half the States (+ special majority)=Federal provisions (trick below) · each legislature by simple majority · no time limit

A bill can start only in Parliament, in either House, by a minister or a private member — no prior nod from the President · never a joint sitting · the President must assent (24th, 1971) · procedure borrowed from South Africa · the 131st Bill fell on 17 April 2026, 298–230 — short of two-thirds of 528 voting (352).

Trick 1

Provisions needing a special majority + half the States

⇄ Any order

Institutions and seatsSeven elves repaired the supermarket.

The other fourAmit got extra lemon tea.

  1. Seventh Schedule — all three lists
  2. Election of the President (Arts 54, 55)
  3. Representation of States in Parliament
  4. Supreme Court and High Courts (UT High Courts, Art 241, too)
  5. Amending procedure — Art 368 itself
  6. GST Council (Art 279A)added by the 101st Amendment, 2016
  7. Executive power — its extent (Arts 73, 162)
  8. Legislative relations (Part XI, Chapter I)

The first line is from the “Salient Features” chapter. Kihoto Hollohan (1992) — para 7 of the Tenth Schedule was struck down for want of ratification · Rajendra N. Shah (2021) — Part IXB lacked State ratification, so it now covers only multi-state co-operatives.

2

Basic Structure — Leading Cases

From Shankari Prasad to Janhit Abhiyan — what each case held.

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3

Amendments 1st to 44th (1951–1978)

Land reform, new territories, property and privy purses, the Emergency and its repair — each number in a phrase.

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4

The 42nd Amendment — Two Lists

The three words added to the Preamble and the five subjects moved from the State List to the Concurrent List.

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5

Amendments 52nd to 77th (1985–1995)

Anti-defection, voting at 18, Delhi, new languages, panchayats and municipalities, and reservation in promotion.

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6

Amendments 81st to 106th (2000–2023)

Reservation, the Right to Education, new languages, co-operatives, the NJAC, GST and seats for women.

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7

States Made by Amendments

Five States created by amendments — in amendment order.

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Read the full chapter for the complete notes — a trick helps you remember the list; understanding comes from the notes.