Name one constitutional amendment that strengthened the secular character of the Indian state and explain its main impact.
Answer
42nd Amendment – added the word ‘Secular’ to the Preamble, reinforcing secularism.
The correct answer is 42nd Amendment – added the word ‘Secular’ to the Preamble, reinforcing secularism. — Conclude that this reinforced the non‑alignment of state with any religion.
Step-by-step solution
- Recall that the Preamble originally did not use the word ‘Secular’.
- Identify the amendment that introduced the word.
- Explain that the 42nd Amendment (1976) added ‘Secular’ to the Preamble, making the secular principle explicit.
- Conclude that this reinforced the non‑alignment of state with any religion.
Common mistake: Confusing 42nd Amendment with the 44th or 25th amendments.
Concept tested: Amendments and secularism
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