By which Constitutional Amendment was the term 'Socialist' included in the Preamble?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — C, Forty-second Constitutional Amendment. The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 inserted the words 'Socialist' and 'Secular' into the Preamble (changing 'Sovereign Democratic Republic' to 'Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic'), and also added 'unity and integrity of the Nation' to the Fraternity clause.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) The 1st Amendment (1951) dealt with free-speech restrictions and land-reform protection (Ninth Schedule) — it did not alter the Preamble's wording.  (b) The 2nd Amendment (1953) adjusted the ratio for Lok Sabha representation of population — unrelated to the Preamble.  (d) The 44th Amendment (1978) was a post-Emergency corrective amendment (e.g. removing the right to property as a Fundamental Right); it did not change the Preamble's wording.

Concept: The Preamble, as adopted on 26 November 1949, originally described India as a 'Sovereign Democratic Republic'. The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 — passed during the Emergency — inserted 'Socialist' and 'Secular' before 'Democratic Republic', and added 'unity and integrity of the Nation' to the Fraternity clause. This is the ONLY amendment to date that has altered the Preamble's text.

State PCS 2023 Q89 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q89 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer