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Schedule Nine of the Indian Constitution deals with
Explanation
The Ninth Schedule of the Indian Constitution was introduced by the 1st Constitutional Amendment Act in 1951 to protect specific laws from judicial review on the grounds of violating Fundamental Rights [c1, t2]. It was primarily designed to safeguard acts and regulations of State Legislatures dealing with land reforms and the abolition of the Zamindari system [c1, t8]. While it initially contained 13 laws, it has expanded to include 282 acts [c1, t6]. Other options refer to different schedules: the Seventh Schedule deals with the Union, State, and Concurrent Lists [t2, t3]; the Eighth Schedule recognizes official languages [t2]; and the First Schedule lists the territories of States and Union Territories [t2]. Although the Supreme Court ruled in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) that laws in this schedule are subject to the 'basic structure' test, its core historical purpose remains the protection of agrarian reform legislation [c1, t4].
Sources
- [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 27: Judicial Review > JUDICIAL REVIEW OF THE NINTH SCHEDULE > p. 299
- [2] https://www.mea.gov.in/images/pdf1/S7.pdf