Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of India
| The Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1959 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Parliament of India | |
| An Act further to amend the Constitution of India. | |
| Citation | 8th Amendment |
| Territorial extent | India |
| Enacted by | Lok Sabha |
| Date passed | 1 December 1959 |
| Enacted by | Rajya Sabha |
| Date passed | 7 December 1959 |
| Date assented to | 5 January 1960 |
| Signed by | Rajendra Prasad |
| Date commenced | 5 January 1960 |
| Date of expiry | 26 January 1970 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha | The Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Bill, 1959 |
| Bill published on | 16 November 1959 |
| Introduced by | Govind Ballabh Pant |
| Related legislation | |
| 23rd, 45th, 62nd, 79th and 95th Amendments | |
| Summary | |
| Extended the period of reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies till 1970 | |
| Status: Spent | |
The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of India, officially known as The Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1959, amended article 334 of the Constitution in order to extend the period of reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and representation of the Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies for ten years, i.e. up to 26 January 1970. Article 334 had stipulated that the reservation of seats should expire within a period of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution (i.e. 26 January 1960).
The 8th Amendment extended the period for reservations to 1970. The period of reservation was extended to 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 by the 23rd, 45th, 62nd, 79th and 95th Amendments respectively.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Tenth Year of the Republic of India as follows:---
1. Short title This Act may be called the Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1959.
2. Amendment of article 334 In article 334 of the Constitution, for the words "ten years" the words "twenty years" shall be substituted.
The full text of Article 334 of the Constitution, after the 8th Amendment, is given below:
334. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Part [Part XVI], the provisions of this Constitution relating to—
Article 334 of the Constitution laid down that the provisions of the Constitution relating to the reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the representation of the Anglo-Indian community by nomination in the House of the People and the Legislative Assemblies of the States would cease to have effect on the expiration of a period of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution (i.e., it would expire in 1960). According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons appended to the bill, "Although the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had made considerable progress in the last ten years, the reasons which weighed with the Constituent Assembly in making provision for the aforesaid reservation of seats and nomination of members had not ceased to exist." The government proposed that the reservation and the representation of Anglo-Indians by nomination be continued for a further period of ten years. In extending the period of nomination of members of the Anglo- Indian community, it was also proposed to fix the number of such members who might be nominated by Governors to State Assemblies and an amendment of article 333 was accordingly proposed.
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