CURRENT AFFAIRS | 19 JUNE 2026
June 18, 2026 marked 75 years since President Rajendra Prasad gave his assent to the First Amendment to the Constitution of India (1951) — a change so sweeping that scholar Upendra Baxi called it the ‘Second Constitution’.
What Happened
Passed by the provisional Parliament under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru barely a year after the Constitution came into force, the First Amendment reshaped fundamental rights. It added grounds and the word ‘reasonable’ to restrictions on free speech, created a protected zone for land-reform laws, and enabled affirmative action for backward classes.
Its most debated creation — the Ninth Schedule — was meant to shield zamindari-abolition laws from courts, but grew into a controversial device for immunising statutes from judicial review on fundamental-rights grounds.
⚖️ Constitutional & Legal Framework
The First Amendment (1951): (1) added ‘reasonable restrictions’ and grounds (public order, friendly relations with foreign states, incitement to an offence) to Article 19(2); (2) inserted Articles 31A and 31B plus the Ninth Schedule, immunising listed laws from FR-based challenge; (3) added Article 15(4) for socially & educationally backward classes. It was upheld in Shankari Prasad v. Union of India (1951) (Parliament can amend FRs under Art 368). Later, I.R. Coelho v. Tamil Nadu (2007) held that post-Kesavananda (1973) Ninth Schedule laws are subject to basic-structure review.
🎯 Why This Matters for CLAT
The amendability of fundamental rights, the Ninth Schedule, and Article 19(2) restrictions are foundational CLAT constitutional-law topics. A 75th-anniversary hook makes this a save-worthy revision sheet linking Shankari Prasad → Golak Nath → Kesavananda → I.R. Coelho.
📌 Key Facts
| What | First Amendment to the Constitution turns 75 |
| When | Assent June 18, 1951 (provisional Parliament, Nehru) |
| Free speech | Added ‘reasonable’ + new grounds to Art 19(2) |
| Created | Art 31A, 31B & the Ninth Schedule |
| Backward classes | Added Article 15(4) |
| Key cases | Shankari Prasad (1951); I.R. Coelho (2007) |
🧠 Memory Hook
“First = 19(2) + 9th Schedule + 15(4).” Ninth Schedule = the constitutional ‘safe locker’ — but after Coelho, even the locker can be opened if it breaks the basic structure.
📝 Test yourself — take the 10-question quiz below:
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
