Amendment 24 of Indian Constitution, 24th Constitutional Amendment Act

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.”.