4. Amendability of the Preamble

The question regarding the amendability of the Preamble was raised in the Kesavananda Bharati Case (1973). The argument of the petitioner was that the Preamble is not a provision of the Constitution, hence it cannot be amended.

Supreme Court’s view: Preamble is an essential and integral part of the Constitution. Hence, it can be amended; otherwise the harmony of the Constitution may get disturbed. It held that the Preamble could be amended, subject to the condition that no amendment is done to the ‘basic features’ of the Constitution.

Consequently the Preamble was amended by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976. It added three new words: Socialist, Secular and Integrity to the Preamble.