Third Schedule
Topic: Making of the Constitution: Constituent Assembly, Sources and Salient Features · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Third Schedule is the part of the Constitution that gives the exact words of the oaths or affirmations for key office-holders. An affirmation is a solemn promise made without swearing by God. The people covered are Union and state ministers, candidates for Parliament and state legislatures, members of these legislatures, judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). Each oath includes a promise to bear "true faith and allegiance" to the Constitution. This is one of the legal signs that the Constitution stands above everyone who holds power under it.
Example
A newly elected Member of Parliament must take the oath in the form set out in the Third Schedule before taking a seat in the House. A minister takes a separate oath of office and an oath of secrecy, also from this Schedule.
Don't confuse with
- Oaths written in the Articles themselves: the President's oath is in Art. 60, the Vice-President's in Art. 69 and the Governors' in Art. 159. These are not in the Third Schedule, which makes them a common Prelims trap.
- Second Schedule: this covers the pay, allowances and privileges of the President, Governors, presiding officers, judges and the CAG. It does not cover oaths.