Constitution and Amendments
THE CONSTITUTION (FORTY-FOURTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 1978
India
THE CONSTITUTION (FORTY-FOURTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 1978
Act 043 of 1978
- Published in Gazette of India on 9 May 1978
- Commenced on 30 April 1979
- [This is the version of this document from 9 May 1978.]
- [Note: The original publication document is not available and this content could not be verified.]
Statement of Objects and Reasons appended to the Constitution (Forty-fifth Amendment) Bill, 1978 (Bill No. 88 of 1978) which was enacted as THE CONSTITUTION (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONSRecents experience has shown that the fundamental rights, including those of life and liberty, granted to citizens by the Constitution are capable of being taken away by a transient majority. It is, therefore, necessary to provide adequate safeguards against the recurrence of such a contingency in the future and to ensure to the people themselves an effective voice in determining the form of government under which they are to live. This is one of the primary objects of this Bill.(2)It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act. (a)in clause (1),-(i)in sub-clause (e), the word "and" shall be inserted at the end; (ii)sub-clause (f) shall be omitted; (b)in clause (5), for the words, brackets and letters "sub-clauses (d), (e) and (f)", the words, brackets and letters "sub-clauses (d) and (e)" shall be substituted. (a)for clause (4), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:- `(4) No law providing for preventive detention shall authorise the detention of a person for a longer period than two months unless an Advisory Board constituted in accordance with the recommendations of the Chief Justice of the appropriate High Court has reported before the expiration of the said period of two months that there is in its opinion sufficient cause for such detention:Provided that an Advisory Board shall consist of a Chairman and not less than two other members, and the Chairman shall be a serving Judge of the appropriate High Court and the other members shall be serving or retired Judges of any High Court:Provided further that nothing in this clause shall authorise the detention of any person beyond the maximum period prescribed by any law made by Parliament under sub-clause (a) of clause (7).Explanation.-In this clause, "appropriate High Court" means,-(i)in the case of the detention of a person in pursuance of an order of detention made by the Government of India or an officer or authority subordinate to that Government, the High Court for the Union territory of Delhi; (ii)in the case of the detention of a person in pursuance of an order of detention made by the Government of any State (other than a Union territory), the High Court for that State; and (iii)in the case of the detention of a person in pursuance of an order of detention made by the administrator of a Union territory or an officer or authority subordinate to such administrator, such High Court as may be specified by or under any law made by Parliament in this behalf.'; (b)in clause (7),- (i)sub-clause (a) shall be omitted; (ii)sub-clause (b) shall be re-lettered as sub-clause (a); and (iii)sub-clause (c) shall be re-lettered as sub-clause (b) and in the sub-clause as so re-lettered, for the words, brackets, letter and figure "sub-clause (a) of clause (4)", the word,brackets and figure "clause (4)" shall be substituted. (2)If the election of a person as President or Vice-President is declared void by the Supreme Court, acts done by him in the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of the office of President or Vice-President, as the case may be, on or before the date of the decision of the Supreme Court shall not be invalidated by reason of that declaration. (3)Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may by law regulate any matter relating to or connected with the election of a President or Vice-President. (4)The election of a person as President or Vice-President shall not be called in question on the ground of the existence of any vacancy for whatever reason among the members of the electoral college electing him.". (2)The amendments made by sub-section (1) to clause (2) of article 83 shall apply also to the House of the People in existence on the date of coming into force of this section without prejudice to the power of Parliament with respect to the extension of the duration of that House under the proviso to that clause. (2)Before giving any decision on any such question, the President shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall act according to such opinion.". (a)in clause (1), for the words "if the High Court certifies", the words, figures and letter "if the High Court certifies under article 134A" shall be substituted; (b)clause (2) shall be omitted; (c)in clause (3), the words "or such leave is granted," and the words "and, with the leave of the Supreme Court, on any other ground" shall be omitted. (a)may, if it deems fit so to do, on its own motion; and (b)shall, if an oral application is made, by or on behalf of the party aggrieved, immediately after the passing or making of such judgment, decree, final order or sentence, determine, as soon as may be after such passing or making, the question whether a certificate of the nature referred to in clause (1) of article 132, or clause (1) of article 133 or, as the case may be sub-clause (c) of clause (1) of article 134, may be given in respect of that case.". (2)The amendments made by sub-section (1) to clause (1) of article 172-(a)shall not apply to any existing State Legislative Assembly the period of existence whereof as computed from the date appointed for its first meeting to the date of coming into force of this section (both dates inclusive) is more than four years and eight months but every such Assembly shall, unless sooner dissolved, stand dissolved on the expiry of-(i)a period of four months from the date of coming into force of this section; or (ii)a period of six years from the date appointed for its first meeting, whichever period expires earlier; (b)shall apply to every other existing State Legislative Assembly without prejudice to the power of Parliament with respect to the extension of duration of such Assembly under the proviso to the said clause (1). Explanation I.-In its application to the Legislative Assembly of the State of Sikkim referred to in clause (b) of article 371F of the Constitution, this sub-section shall have effect as if-(i)the date appointed for the first meeting of that Assembly were the 26th day of April, 1975; and (ii)the references in clause (a) of this sub-section to "four years and eight months" and "six years" were references to "three years and eight months" and "five years" respectively. Explanation II.-In this sub-section, "existing State Legislative Assembly" means the Legislative Assembly of a State in existence on the date of coming into force of this section. (2)Before giving any decision on any such question, the Governor shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall act according to such opinion.". (a)in sub-clause (b), the word "or" occurring at the end shall be omitted; (b)sub-clause (c) shall be omitted; (c)in the Explanation, clause (a) shall be re-lettered as clause (aa) and before clause (aa) as so re-lettered, the following shall be inserted, namely:- "(a) in computing the period during which a person has held judicial office in the territory of India, there shall be included any period, after he has held any judicial office, during which the person has been an advocate of a High Court or has held the office of a member of a tribunal or any post, under the Union or a State, requiring special knowledge of law;".(a)in clause (1), for the portion beginning with the words "writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari, or any of them" and ending with the words "such illegality has resulted in substantial failure of justice.", the following shall be substituted, namely:- "writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari, or any of them, for the enforcement of any of the rights conferred by Part III and for any other purpose.";(b)for clauses (3), (4), (5) and (6), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:- "(3) Where any party against whom an interim order, whether by way of injunction or stay or in any other manner, is made on, or in any way proceedings relating to, a petition under clause (1), without-(a)furnishing to such party copies of such petition and all documents in support of the plea for such interim order; and (b)giving such party an opportunity of being heard, makes an application to the High Court for the vacation of such order and furnishes a copy of such application to the party in whose favour such order has been made or the counsel of such party, the High Court shall dispose of the application within a period of two weeks from the date on which it is received or from the date on which the copy of such application is so furnished, whichever is later, or where the High Court is closed on the last day of that period, before the expiry of the next day afterwards on which the High Court is open; and if the application is not so disposed of, the interim order shall, on the expiry of that period, or, as the case may be, the expiry of the said next day, stand vacated."; (c)clause (7) shall be renumbered as clause (4). (a)for clause (1), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:- "(1) Every High Court shall have superintendence over all courts and tribunals throughout the territories in relation to which it exercises jurisdiction.";(b)clause (5) shall be omitted. (3)The President shall not issue a Proclamation under clause (1) or a Proclamation varying such Proclamation unless the decision of the Union Cabinet (that is to say, the Council consisting of the Prime Minister and other Ministers of Cabinet rank appointed under article 75) that such a Proclamation may be issued has been communicated to him in writing. (4)Every Proclamation issued under this article shall be laid before each House of Parliament and shall, except where it is a Proclamation revoking a previous Proclamation, cease to operate at the expiration of one month unless before the expiration of that period it has been approved by resolutions of both Houses of Parliament:Provided that if any such Proclamation (not being a Proclamation revoking a previous Proclamation) is issued at a time when the House of the People has been dissolved, or the dissolution of the House of the People takes place during the period of one month referred to in this clause, and if a resolution approving the Proclamation has been passed by the Council of States, but no resolution with respect to such Proclamation has been passed by the House of the People before the expiration of that period, the Proclamation shall cease to operate at the expiration of thirty days from the date on which the House of the People first sits after its reconstitution, unless before the expiration of the said period of thirty days a resolution approving the Proclamation has been also passed by the House of the People. (5)A Proclamation so approved shall, unless revoked, cease to operate on the expiration of a period of six months from the date of the passing of the second of the resolutions approving the Proclamation under clause (4):Provided that if and so often as a resolution approving the continuance in force of such a Proclamation is passed by both Houses of Parliament the Proclamation shall, unless revoked, continue in force for a further period of six months from the date on which it would otherwise have ceased to operate under this clause:Provided further that if the dissolution of the House of the People takes place during any such period of six months and a resolution approving the continuance in force of such Proclamation has been passed by the Council of States but no resolution with respect to the continuance in force of such Proclamation has been passed by the House of the People during the said period, the Proclamation shall cease to operate at the expiration of thirty days from the date on which the House of the People first sits after its reconstitution unless before the expiration of the said period of thirty days, a resolution approving the continuance in force of the Proclamation has been also passed by the House of the People. (6)For the purposes of clauses (4) and (5), a resolution may be passed by either House of Parliament only by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting. (7)Notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing clauses, the President shall revoke a Proclamation issued under clause (1) or a Proclamation varying such Proclamation if the House of the People passes a resolution disapproving, or, as the case may be, disapproving the continuance in force of, such Proclamation. (8)Where a notice in writing signed by not less than one-tenth of the total number of members of the House of the People has been given, of their intention to move a resolution for disapproving, or, as the case may be, for disapproving the continuance in force of, a Proclamation issued under clause (1) or a Proclamation varying such Proclamation,-(a)to the Speaker, if the House is in session; or (b)to the President, if the House is not in session, a special sitting of the House shall be held within fourteen days from the date on which such notice is received by the Speaker, or, as the case may be, by the President, for the purpose of considering such resolution.";(c)clause (4) shall be renumbered as clause (9) and in the clause as so renumbered, for the words "internal disturbance" in both the places where they occur, the words "armed rebellion" shall be substituted; (d)clause (5) shall be omitted. (a)in clause (4),-(i)for the words, brackets and figure "one year from the date of the passing of the second of the resolutions approving the Proclamation under clause (3)", the words "six months from the date of issue of the Proclamation" shall be substituted; (ii)in the first proviso, for the words "one year", the words "six months" shall be substituted; (iii)in the second proviso, for the words "one year", the words "six months" shall be substituted; (b)for clause (5), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:- "(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (4), a resolution with respect to the continuance in force of a Proclamation approved under clause (3) for any period beyond the expiration of one year from the date of issue of such Proclamation shall not be passed by either House of Parliament unless-(a)a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation, in the whole of India or, as the case may be, in the whole or any part of the State, at the time of the passing of such resolution, and (b)the Election Commission certifies that the continuance in force of the Proclamation approved under clause (3) during the period specified in such resolution is necessary on account of difficulties in holding general elections to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned.". (a)in clause (1) as so renumbered,-(i)in the opening portion, for the words "while a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation", the words "While a Proclamation of Emergency declaring that the security of India or any part of the territory thereof is treated by war or by external aggression is in operation" shall be substituted; (ii)in the proviso, for the words "where a Proclamation of Emergency", the words "where such Proclamation of Emergency" shall be substituted; (b)after clause (1) as so renumbered, the following clause shall be inserted, namely:- "(2) Nothing in clause (1) shall apply-(a)to any law which does not contain a recital to the effect that such law is in relation to the Proclamation of Emergency in operation when it is made; or (b)to any executive action taken otherwise than under a law containing such a recital.". (a)in clauses (1) and (1A), for the words and figures "the rights conferred by Part III", the words, figures and brackets "the rights conferred by Part III (except articles 20 and 21)" shall be substituted; (b)after clause (1A), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:- "(1B) Nothing in clause (1A) shall apply-(a)to any law which does not contain a recital to the effect that such law is in relation to the Proclamation of Emergency in operation when it is made; or (b)to any executive action taken otherwise than under a law containing such a recital.". (a)for clause (2), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:- "(2) A Proclamation issued under clause (1)-(a)may be revoked or varied by a subsequent Proclamation; (b)shall be laid before each House of Parliament; (c)shall cease to operate at the expiration of two months, unless before the expiration of that period it has been approved by resolutions of both Houses of Parliament: Provided that if any such Proclamation is issued at a time when the House of the People has been dissolved or the dissolution of the House of the People takes place during the period of two months referred to in sub-clause (c), and if a resolution approving the Proclamation has been passed by the Council of States, but no resolution with respect to such Proclamation has been passed by the House of the People before the expiration of that period, the Proclamation shall cease to operate at the expiration of thirty days from the date on which the House of the People first sits after its reconstitution unless before the expiration of the said period of thirty days a resolution approving the Proclamation has been also passed by the House of the People.";(b)clause (5) shall be omitted. (2)Clause (1) shall apply in relation to reports or matters broadcast by means of wireless telegraphy as part of any programme or service provided by means of a broadcasting station as it applies in relation to reports or matters published in a newspaper.Explanation.-In this article, "newspaper" includes a news agency report containing material for publication in a newspaper.'.