Important Constitutional Amendments for UPSC Prelims 2027: 1st to 106th, and the Bills of 2024–2026

Quick answer

The Constitution has been amended 106 times so far; the latest Act is the 106th (2023) on women’s reservation, brought into force on 16 April 2026. For Prelims, the most-asked amendments are the 1st, 42nd, 44th, 52nd, 61st, 73rd–74th, 86th, 91st, 101st and 103rd. Three bills are also in the news: the 129th (simultaneous elections) and 130th (removal of ministers held in custody) are with Joint Parliamentary Committees, and the 131st (850-seat Lok Sabha) was defeated in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026.

Key takeaways

Article 368 has three methods: simple majority (outside 368), special majority, and special majority plus ratification by half the States.
A Constitution amendment bill can be introduced in either House, by a minister or a private member, without the President’s recommendation.
There is no joint sitting for an amendment bill, and the President must give assent (24th Amendment).
UPSC asks amendments by number and subject: 71st and Eighth Schedule (2024), 1st Amendment (2023), 91st (2009).

Most important amendments for Prelims

Amendment	Year	What it did
1st	1951	Ninth Schedule; reasonable restrictions on Article 19; Article 15(4) for backward classes. Made to overcome court rulings (PYQ 2023)
7th	1956	Reorganised States on linguistic lines; abolished Part A, B, C, D States
24th	1971	Parliament can amend any part, including Fundamental Rights; President must assent to amendment bills
31st	1973	Lok Sabha elected seats raised from 525 to 545
42nd	1976	“Mini-Constitution”: Socialist, Secular, Integrity in the Preamble; Fundamental Duties; new DPSPs; five subjects to the Concurrent List
44th	1978	Property out of Part III (now 300A); “armed rebellion” for “internal disturbance”; 20 and 21 never suspended; President can return advice once (PYQ 2002, 2019)
52nd	1985	Tenth Schedule: anti-defection law
61st	1988	Voting age lowered from 21 to 18
69th	1991	Delhi made the National Capital Territory with an Assembly (239AA, 239AB) (PYQ 2001)
71st	1992	Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali added to the Eighth Schedule (PYQ 2024)
73rd / 74th	1992	Panchayats (Part IX) and Municipalities (Part IXA) (PYQ 2000)
86th	2002	Article 21A, education for 6–14 years; new Article 45; duty 51A(k) (PYQ 2002)
91st	2003	Council of Ministers capped at 15% of the House; split exception removed from anti-defection law (PYQ 2009)
92nd	2003	Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali added: 22 languages (PYQ 2008)
97th	2011	Cooperative societies: Article 19(1)(c), Article 43B, Part IXB
99th	2014	National Judicial Appointments Commission (struck down in 2015)
101st	2016	Goods and Services Tax; GST Council (Article 279A)
102nd	2018	Constitutional status for the National Commission for Backward Classes (338B)
103rd	2019	Up to 10% reservation for economically weaker sections (upheld, 2022)
104th	2020	Ended Anglo-Indian nominations; SC/ST seat reservation extended to 2030
105th	2021	Restored States’ power to make their own backward-class lists
106th	2023	One-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies; in force from 16 April 2026, but the quota starts after the next delimitation

Which amendment bills are in the news?

Bill	Subject	Status
129th Amendment Bill, 2024	Simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies (“One Nation, One Election”)	With a Joint Parliamentary Committee
130th Amendment Bill, 2025	Removal of the PM, a CM or a minister held in custody for 30 days	With a Joint Parliamentary Committee
131st Amendment Bill, 2026	Raise the Lok Sabha cap to 850 seats and bring in women’s reservation through delimitation	Defeated in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026 (298 for, 230 against: short of two-thirds)

Bill numbers and Act numbers are different. A bill is numbered when it is introduced; the Act gets the next free number only when it is passed. The 86th Amendment Act, for example, was introduced as the 93rd Amendment Bill.

How is the Constitution amended under Article 368?

Method	Majority needed	Examples
Simple majority (not under Article 368)	Majority of members present and voting	New States (Art. 2–4), citizenship, quorum, Fifth and Sixth Schedules
Special majority	Majority of total membership and two-thirds of those present and voting, in each House	Fundamental Rights, DPSP, most provisions
Special majority + States	As above, plus ratification by half the State legislatures	Election of the President, Supreme Court and High Courts, Seventh Schedule lists, GST Council (279A), Article 368 itself

What is the basic structure doctrine?

In Kesavananda Bharati (1973), the Supreme Court held that Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution but cannot destroy its basic structure. Features held to be part of it include the supremacy of the Constitution, judicial review, free and fair elections, federalism, secularism, the separation of powers and the rule of law. The list is built case by case; the Constitution itself does not define it (PYQ 2020).

Read the full chapter with every UPSC PYQ in our free Amendment & Basic Structure notes.

Sources

Test yourself: 4 UPSC PYQs on amendments

UPSC Prelims 2024: The Constitution (71st Amendment) Act, 1992 amends the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution to include which of the following languages?
1. Konkani
2. Manipuri
3. Nepali
4. Maithili
1. 1, 2 and 3
2. 1, 2 and 4
3. 1, 3 and 4
4. 2, 3 and 4
Answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3. The 71st added Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali. Maithili came with the 92nd (2003).
UPSC Prelims 2023: In India, which one of the following Constitutional Amendments was widely believed to be enacted to overcome the judicial interpretations of the Fundamental Rights?
1. 1st Amendment
2. 42nd Amendment
3. 44th Amendment
4. 86th Amendment
Answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1st Amendment. The 1st Amendment (1951) responded to rulings like Romesh Thapar and Champakam Dorairajan by adding restrictions to Article 19 and Article 15(4).
UPSC Prelims 2022: Consider the following statements:
1. A bill amending the Constitution requires a prior recommendation of the President of India.
2. When a Constitution Amendment Bill is presented to the President of India, it is obligatory for the President of India to give his/her assent.
3. A Constitution Amendment Bill must be passed by both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha by a special majority and there is no provision for joint sitting.
1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only. No prior recommendation is needed. Assent is obligatory, and there is no joint sitting.
UPSC Prelims 2009: Which one of the following Constitutional Amendments states that the total number of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed fifteen percent of the total number of members of the House of the People?
1. 90th
2. 91st
3. 92nd
4. 93rd
Answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 91st. 91st Amendment, 2003 (Article 75(1A)).

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Frequently asked questions

How many times has the Indian Constitution been amended?

106 times. The latest is the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, on women's reservation, brought into force on 16 April 2026.

Which amendment is called the mini-Constitution?

The 42nd Amendment, 1976. It added Socialist, Secular and Integrity to the Preamble, the Fundamental Duties and new Directive Principles.

What happened to the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill?

It was defeated in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026 because it did not get the required two-thirds majority (298 for, 230 against).

Which amendment lowered the voting age to 18?

The 61st Amendment, 1988.

Can an amendment bill be passed in a joint sitting?

No. Each House must pass a Constitution amendment bill separately by special majority. There is no joint sitting for it.