News Desk: The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act added the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ to the Preamble of the Constitution. The 42nd Amendment Act amended the Preamble and changed the description of India from a “sovereign democratic republic” to a “sovereign, socialist secular democratic republic.”
However, a petition filed in the Supreme Court recently has triggered a legal debate. The petition seeks the removal of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ from the preamble of the constitution.
According to the PIL, the amendment was “antithetical to the constitutional tenets as well as the historical and cultural theme of India”.
The PIL stated that the move was “per se illegal for violating the concept of freedom of speech and expression enumerated in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and the right to freedom of religion guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution,”
The petition further argues that the original Constitution makers deliberately chose to keep these concepts out of the Preamble.
The petition has also challenged the insertion of the words ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ in section 29 A (5) of the Representation of People (RP) Act.
Three individuals Balram Singh, Karunesh Kumar Shukla, Pravesh Kumar filed the petition through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain.
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