Eight Constitution Amendments Enacted in the Last Twelve Years, Government Informs Parliament

1. At a Glance

• Government informed Parliament (25 July 2026) that the Constitution of India has been amended eight times in the last twelve years — from the 99th Amendment (2014) to the 106th Amendment. [1]
• Spans NJAC (judicial appointments), GST, India-Bangladesh land boundary, OBC commission status, EWS reservation, J&K reorganisation-related change, OBC identification power, and women's reservation. [1][2]
• High-yield for Prelims (amendment numbers/years) and Mains GS-II (federalism, judiciary, social justice, legislature).

2. Why in the News

• Government tabled a list in Parliament (Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha) on 25 July 2026 via a Ministry of Law and Justice press release enumerating all eight Constitution Amendment Acts enacted since 2014. [1]

3. Background & Evolution

• Article 368 governs the procedure for constitutional amendment (special majority in both Houses; ratification by half the States for federal provisions).
• Chronology of the eight amendments cited: 1. 99th Amendment, 2014 — National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), replacing the collegium system for SC/HC judge appointments. [1] 2. 100th Amendment, 2015 — India–Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (exchange of enclaves, Berubari-related territorial adjustment). [1] 3. 101st Amendment, 2016 — Goods and Services Tax (GST); inserted Article 246A, 269A, 279A. [1] 4. 102nd Amendment, 2018 — Constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC); Article 338B. [1] 5. 103rd Amendment, 2019 — 10% EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) reservation in education and public employment; assented 12 January 2019. [3] 6. 104th Amendment, 2020 (passed Dec 2019, assented 21 January 2020, commenced 25 January 2020) — extension of SC/ST reservation of seats in Lok Sabha/State Assemblies; discontinued Anglo-Indian nominated seats. [3] 7. 105th Amendment, 2021 — restored State legislatures' power to identify and specify Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs), post the Maratha reservation SC judgment; Presidential assent 18 August 2021. [3] 8. 106th Amendment — women's reservation (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), reserving one-third of seats for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies (implementation linked to delimitation post-Census).

4. Core Static Facts

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department). [1]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Legal/Constitutional

• 99th Amendment is a rare instance of an enacted amendment later struck down (SC, Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Assn. v. Union of India, 2015) — collegium system restored.
• 103rd Amendment (EWS quota) upheld by SC in Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India (2022), affirming economic criteria as a valid basis alongside the 50% ceiling debate.

Social

• 102nd, 103rd, 104th, 105th, 106th amendments cluster around reservation/backward-classes policy — reflects continuing contestation over affirmative action architecture.
• 106th Amendment addresses gender representation gap in legislatures.

Administrative/Federal

• 101st (GST) amendment fundamentally altered Centre-State fiscal federalism via the GST Council (Art. 279A).
• 105th Amendment is a direct legislative response reversing a judicial interpretation (Art. 342A) that had centralised SEBC-identification power.

Geopolitical

• 100th Amendment operationalised a bilateral land-boundary settlement with Bangladesh, ending decades-long enclave disputes.

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 25 July 2026: Ministry of Law and Justice statement to Parliament listing all eight amendments enacted in the preceding twelve years. [1]

7. Prelims Hooks

• Total Constitution amendments enacted in last 12 years (as of July 2026): 8. [1]
• 99th Amendment (2014): NJAC — later declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court in 2015. [1]
• 100th Amendment (2015): India–Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement. [1]
• 101st Amendment (2016): introduced GST; added Articles 246A, 269A, 279A. [1]
• 102nd Amendment (2018): gave constitutional status to NCBC (Art. 338B). [1]
• 103rd Amendment: assented 12 January 2019 — 10% EWS reservation (Art. 15(6)/16(6)). [3]
• 104th Amendment: assented 21 January 2020, commenced 25 January 2020 — extended SC/ST seat reservation, ended Anglo-Indian nominated seats. [3]
• 105th Amendment: assented 18 August 2021 — restored States' power to identify SEBCs (Art. 342A). [3]
• Nodal Ministry for all Constitution Amendment Bills: Ministry of Law and Justice, Legislative Department. [1]
• Amendment procedure under Article 368 requires special majority; some provisions additionally need State ratification.

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: Indian Constitution — historical underpinnings, amendments, significant provisions; Federalism; Judiciary; Reservation policy.
• Possible stems: 1. "Discuss how recent Constitution amendments reflect the evolving contest between judicial and legislative primacy in India, with reference to the 99th Amendment." 2. "Examine the impact of the 101st Amendment on the federal fiscal architecture of India." 3. "Critically analyse the trajectory of reservation-related constitutional amendments (102nd–106th) and their implications for the basic structure doctrine."

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• NJAC vs Collegium system — directly tied to 99th Amendment's enactment and striking down.
• GST Council & Article 279A — fiscal federalism mechanics from 101st Amendment.
• EWS reservation & Janhit Abhiyan judgment — judicial validation of 103rd Amendment.
• Basic Structure Doctrine (Kesavananda Bharati) — limits on Parliament's amending power under Art. 368.
• Women's Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) — implementation tied to delimitation and Census.
• Mandal Commission & backward classes jurisprudence — background to 102nd/105th Amendments.
• India-Bangladesh boundary & enclaves (Tin Bigha Corridor) — context for 100th Amendment.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Confusing amendment number with year of assent vs commencement (e.g., 104th Amendment assented Jan 2020 but often mis-dated as 2019 bill year).
• Assuming all eight amendments are currently in force — the 99th Amendment (NJAC) was struck down by the Supreme Court, though it remains "enacted" in the historical count.
• Mixing up 102nd Amendment (NCBC constitutional status) with 105th Amendment (States' power to identify SEBCs) — both relate to backward classes but address different issues.
• Attributing GST implementation solely to the 101st Amendment while ignoring subsequent CGST/SGST/IGST Acts needed for actual rollout.
• Nodal Ministry is Law & Justice for the amendment Acts themselves, not the subject-matter ministry (e.g., GST Council/Finance Ministry administers GST post-amendment).