Constitutional Amendments — Major Amendments, Procedure & Basic Structure Limits

What should you study in Constitutional Amendments?

• Amendment procedure — Art.368; simple, special, ratification required
• Key amendments — 42nd (mini-constitution), 44th, 73rd, 74th, 97th (cooperatives), 101st (GST)
• Judicial review of amendments — Coelho case (9th Schedule)
• Constitutional conventions vs constitutional law

How often is Constitutional Amendments asked in UPSC Mains?

Asked in 4 of 10 years, including 2 of the last 5. Highlighted years below are the ones it appeared in.

1. 2016: not asked
2. 2017: asked
3. 2018: not asked
4. 2019: asked
5. 2020: not asked
6. 2021: asked
7. 2022: not asked
8. 2023: asked
9. 2024: not asked
10. 2025: not asked

About the Mains GS Paper II paper

GS Paper II is a 250-mark descriptive Mains paper covering governance, the Constitution, polity, social justice and international relations. See all 40 Mains GS Paper II topics.

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