First Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951
Jun 15, 2026
Current Affair 1:
First Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951
News:
2026 marks 75 years since President Rajendra Prasad gave his assent to the First Amendment Act, 1951, which radically reshaped fundamental rights and judicial review.
Key Provisions of the First Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951
- The 1st Amendment Act added three new grounds for reasonable restrictions on freedom of speech under Article 19(2): public order, friendly relations with foreign states, and incitement to an offence.
- Clause (4) was added to Article 15, empowering the State to make special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes.
- Articles 31A and 31B were introduced to protect agrarian land reform laws from legal challenge on the ground that they violated fundamental rights.
- The 9th Schedule was added, originally shielding any law placed under it from judicial review on the ground that it violated Fundamental Rights.
- The amendment modified Article 19(6) to ensure that State nationalisation or operation of any trade or business could not be invalidated on the ground of violating a citizen’s right to practise any profession or carry on any occupation.
