With reference to the Preamble and the 42nd Amendment, consider the following statements: 1. The court defined Indian socialism as a commitment to profit and competition. 2. The 42nd Amendment added the words socialist and secular to the Preamble. 3. The Supreme Court upheld the Preamble changes in the Minerva Mills v. Union of India case. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

CJI Sanjiv Khanna bench upholds socialism and secularism as vital to Constitution's philosophy

GS2Polity · Governance · IR· Constitution, amendments & basic structure· Prelims + Mains· 6 October 2026

Basic Structure and Preamble interpretation: a core GS2 topic on judicial review and constitutional amendments.

Why in news

A Bench led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna dismissed writ petitions challenging the 42nd Amendment, upholding 'socialist' and 'secular' as integral to the Preamble's philosophy.

Background

The court dismissed writ petitions filed in 2020 that challenged the 42nd Amendment's inclusion of 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble. The bench noted these terms were upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1980 Minerva Mills v. Union of India case.

Facts for Prelims

ConstitutionThe 42nd Amendment added the words 'socialist' and 'secular' to the Preamble.
BodyThe Supreme Court upheld the 42nd Amendment's Preamble changes in the Minerva Mills v. Union of India (1980) case.
ConstitutionThe court defined Indian 'socialism' as a commitment to welfare and equality.

Prelims practice question

With reference to the Preamble and the 42nd Amendment, consider the following statements:

The court defined Indian socialism as a commitment to profit and competition.
The 42nd Amendment added the words socialist and secular to the Preamble.
The Supreme Court upheld the Preamble changes in the Minerva Mills v. Union of India case.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)1 and 3 only
(d)2 and 3 only

Show answer

Answer: (d) 2 and 3 only — Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Statement 1 is incorrect: The court defined Indian socialism as a commitment to welfare and equality.

For Mains

Q. Examine the judicial role in safeguarding the basic structure of the Preamble against legislative amendments, with reference to the 42nd Amendment.

Dimensions to cover in your answer

Judicial Review: The principle of 'Basic Structure' limits the Parliament's power to alter the core philosophy of the Preamble.
Constitutional Continuity: The court's refusal to annul Emergency-era legislative actions based on tenure length.
Interpretative Stability: The court's stance on 'widespread acceptance' of Preamble terms by the citizenry.

Keywords: Basic Structure · Judicial Review · 42nd Amendment · Minerva Mills Case · Preamble Philosophy

Read the full news →Report a mistake in this note Source: The Hindu ↗Also: GS1 · Communalism, regionalism & secularism

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