First Amendment to Constitution of India

The 100th amendment to the Constitution was passed after due process in Parliament, and was notified on 28 May 2015 by the Ministry of Law and Justice. The amendment enables the transfer of certain properties of India to Bangladesh and certain other properties of Bangladesh to India, thereby resolving an issue that was as old as independent India itself. It received the unanimous support of all political parties, and was widely welcomed by the peoples of the two countries, especially those living in the areas concerned, and those adjoining the transferred places.

Undoubtedly, India is the only country in the world with a written constitution that has been amended so many times in the six and a half decades since its inception in 1950. The fact that the Constitution has indeed been amended a hundred times sometimes gives rise to two conflicting trends of thought. One school of thought derides the constant and unending process by which the Constitution is being mutated and, some would say, mutilated, to suit the needs of the political party in power. Such criticism is often made with reference to the controversial 42nd amendment brought in by Indira Gandhi at the height of the Emergency, when her powers were supreme. Yet others argue that the Constitution is a living document and must reflect the growing aspirations of the people of India from time to time. Hence, it is argued that amendments to the Constitution are not merely reflective of such aspirations but also emphasise and translate the will of the people to carve out their own destiny.