BACK

THE CONSTITUTION (TWENTY-FOURTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 1971


    Statement of Objects and Reasons appended to the Constitution
      (Twenty-fourth Amendment) Bill, 1971 which was enacted as
         THE CONSTITUTION (Twenty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1971


                   STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The  Supreme Court in the well-known Golak Nath's case [1967, 2 S.C.R.
762]  reversed,  by  a  narrow majority,  its  own   earlier  decisions
upholding  the  power  of  Parliament  to   amend   all  parts  of  the
Constitution  including Part III relating to fundamental rights.   The
result  of  the judgment is that Parliament is considered to  have  no
power to take away or curtail any of the fundamental rights guaranteed
by  Part III of the Constitution even if it becomes necessary to do so
for  giving effect to the Directive Principles of State Policy and for
the  attainment  of  the  objectives set out in the  Preamble   to  the
Constitution.   It  is,  therefore, considered  necessary   to  provide
expressly  that  Parliament  has power to amend any provision  of   the
Constitution  so  as to include the provisions of Part III within  the
scope of the amending power.


2.   The Bill seeks to amend article 368 suitably for the purpose  and
makes  it  clear  that  article  368 provides  for   amendment  of  the
Constitution as well as procedure therefor.  The Bill further provides
that  when  a  Constitution Amendment Bill passed by  both   Houses  of
Parliament  is  presented to the President for his assent,  he  should
give  his assent thereto.  The Bill also seeks to amend article 13  of
the  Constitution  to  make it inapplicable to any  amendment  of   the
Constitution under article 368.



NEW DELHI;                                              H. R. GOKHALE.

The 22nd July, 1971.




THE CONSTITUTION (TWENTY-FOURTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 1971



                                [5th November, 1971.]


An Act further to amend the Constitution of India.


BE  it enacted by Parliament in the Twenty-second Year of the Republic
of India as follows:-


1.    Short   title.-This   Act  may   be   called   the    Constitution
(Twenty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1971.


2.   Amendment of article 13.-In article 13 of the Constitution, after
clause (3), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:--


"(4)  Nothing  in  this article shall apply to any amendment  of  this
Constitution made under article 368.".


3.  Amendment of article 368.-Article 368 of the Constitution shall be
re-numbered as clause (2) thereof, and-


(a)  for the marginal heading to that article, the following  marginal
heading shall be substituted, namely:-


"Power  of  Parliament  to  amend    the  Constitution  and   procedure
therefor.";


(b) before clause (2) as so re-numbered, the following clause shall be
inserted, namely:-


"(1)  Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, Parliament may in
exercise  of its constituent power amend by way of addition, variation
or  repeal  any provision of this Constitution in accordance with  the
procedure laid down in this article.";


(c)  in  clause  (2)  as so re-numbered, for the words  "it  shall  be
presented  to the President for his assent and upon such assent  being
given  to the Bill", the words "it shall be presented to the President
who  shall  give  his  assent  to the Bill  and   thereupon"  shall  be
substituted;


(d)  after clause (2) as so re-numbered, the following clause shall be
inserted, namely:-


"(3)  Nothing  in article 13 shall apply to any amendment  made  under
this article.".

 


TOP