The Schedules of the Indian Constitution are a valuable resource for understanding the Constitution and its implementation. They provide important information about the structure and functioning of the government, as well as the rights and duties of citizens.
The schedules of the Indian constitution provide additional details and forms that are not mentioned in the Articles of the constitution. They are supposed to avoid crowding the parts with too much information. The Indian Constitution, when it was made, had 8 schedules. But later, amendments were made to the constitution and 4 more schedules were added. After amendments since its inception, it now has 12 schedules. They are considered as constitutional laws and have the same legal status as the Articles. They can be amended by the Parliament according to the procedure laid down in Article 368 of the constitution.
The Preamble to the Constitution of India | Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Here is a list of the 12 Schedules of the Indian Constitution:
- Schedule I: List of states and union territories
It lists the names and boundaries of the states and union territories of India. - Schedule II: List of union territories with legislatures
It specifies the salaries, allowances and privileges of the President, Vice-President, Governors, Speakers, Judges, Comptroller and Auditor General. - Schedule III: List of Fundamental Rights
It contains the forms of oaths and affirmations for various constitutional posts and offices. - Schedule IV: Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha
It allocates the seats for each state and union territory in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament. - Schedule V: Provisions for administration of scheduled areas and tribes
It deals with the administration and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. - Schedule VI: Provisions for administration of autonomous districts and regions
It deals with the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. - Schedule VII: Distribution of legislative powers between the Union and the states
It divides the legislative powers between the Union and the states into three lists: Union List, State List and Concurrent List. - Schedule VIII: List of languages recognized by the Constitution
It recognises 22 languages as official languages of India.They are as follows:
1. Assamese
2. Bengali
3. Gujarati
4. Hindi
5. Kannada
6. Kashmiri
7. Konkani
8. Malayalam
9. Manipuri
10.Marathi
11. Nepali
12. Odia
13. Punjabi
14. Sanskrit
15. Sindhi
16. Tamil
17. Telugu
18. Urdu
19. Bodo
20. Santhali
21. Maithili
22. Dogri - Schedule IX: Acts and orders that are protected from judicial review
It protects the laws related to land reforms and abolition of the zamindari system from judicial review on the ground of violation of fundamental rights. - Schedule X: Distribution of executive powers between the Union and the states
It lays down the rules and procedures for disqualification of members of Parliament and state legislatures on the ground of defection. - Schedule XI: Provisions for administration of Panchayats
It gives powers, authority and responsibilities to Panchayats, the rural local self-government bodies. - Schedule XII: Provisions for administration of Municipalities
It gives powers, authority and responsibilities to Municipalities, the urban local self-government bodies.
Continue to the next section: Are Schedules Part of the Constitution?