Question

The Article 51A of the Constitution containing Fundamental Duties was inserted by the which Constitutional Amendment Act?

• A. 41st Constitutional Amendment Act
• B. 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act
• C. 43rd Constitutional Amendment Act
• D. 44th Constitutional Amendment Act

Hint:

Associate the 42nd Amendment (1976, during Emergency) with major additions and changes like adding Fundamental Duties, and the Preamble words "Socialist, Secular, and Integrity". Associate the 44th Amendment (1978, after Emergency) with corrective measures, like removing the Right to Property as a Fundamental Right and changing "internal disturbance" to "armed rebellion".

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Question
The question asks to identify the Constitutional Amendment Act that added the Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) to the Indian Constitution.

Step 2: Recalling Constitutional History


The Fundamental Duties were not part of the original Constitution.

They were added based on the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee.

This was done during the period of the Internal Emergency (1975-77).

The amendment that incorporated these duties was the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976.

It added a new part to the Constitution, Part IV-A, which consists of a single article, Article 51A. Initially, there were 10 Fundamental Duties. An eleventh duty was added later by the 86th Amendment Act of 2002.


Step 3: Evaluating the Options


(B) 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act: This is the correct amendment. The 42nd Amendment is also known as the "Mini-Constitution" because of the large number of changes it made.

(D) 44th Constitutional Amendment Act: This amendment was passed in 1978 after the Emergency to reverse many of the changes made by the 42nd Amendment, but it did not remove the Fundamental Duties.


Step 4: Final Answer
The Fundamental Duties were inserted into the Constitution by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976. Therefore, option (B) is the correct answer.