Schedules of the Indian Constitution: 12 Schedules Made Memorable for SSC & UPSC
Quick Answer: The Indian Constitution currently has 12 Schedules. Originally there were 8 in 1950. The 9th (land reform laws) came via the 1st Amendment (1951), the 10th (anti-defection) via the 52nd Amendment (1985), and the 11th (Panchayats) and 12th (Municipalities) via the 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992). SSC and state PSC papers repeatedly ask the schedule number, the amendment, and the content — this one-pager covers all three with memory hooks.
- Original Constitution vs Added Later: Which Schedules Came When
- First Schedule: States & UTs — Memory Hook
- Second to Fourth Schedules: Salaries, Oaths & Seat Allocation
- Fifth & Sixth Schedules: Scheduled Areas & Tribal Areas
- Seventh Schedule: Union, State & Concurrent Lists
- Eighth Schedule: 22 Official Languages
- Ninth Schedule: Land Reforms & Judicial Review
- Tenth Schedule: Anti-Defection Law
- Eleventh & Twelfth Schedules: Panchayati Raj & Municipalities
- Memory Hooks: One-Line Mnemonics for All 12 Schedules
- PYQ Practice: Questions SSC & State PSCs Actually Ask
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How many Schedules does the Indian Constitution have?
- Q: Which Schedule lists the official languages of India?
- Q: Which Schedule deals with the anti-defection law?
- Q: What is the difference between the Fifth and Sixth Schedule?
- Q: Which Schedules relate to local government?
- Related reading
Original Constitution vs Added Later: Which Schedules Came When
The Constitution as adopted on 26 November 1950 (commencement: 26 January 1950) contained only 8 Schedules. Four more were added by later amendments:
- 9th Schedule — 1st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951
- 10th Schedule — 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985
- 11th Schedule — 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
- 12th Schedule — 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
Exam tip: SSC CGL and state PSC prelims love the pairing “amendment → schedule”. Memorise these four pairs and you cover every “added later” question. For authentic text, refer to the Constitution as published on the Government of India portal and legislative updates on PIB.
First Schedule: States & UTs — Memory Hook
The First Schedule contains the names of the States and Union Territories of India, along with their territorial extent. After the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, India has 28 States and 8 Union Territories.
Memory hook (10 seconds): “1st = States list.” Schedule number 1 begins with S — States.
Second to Fourth Schedules: Salaries, Oaths & Seat Allocation
| Schedule | Content | Memory Hook |
|---|---|---|
| Second | Salaries and emoluments of the President, Governors, Speakers, Judges of SC and HCs, C&AG | “2nd = Salary slip” |
| Third | Forms of Oaths and affirmations for constitutional office-holders | “3rd = Taking the Oath” |
| Fourth | Allotment of seats to States and UTs in the Rajya Sabha | “4th = For Rajya Sabha” |
Common SSC trap: the Third Schedule covers oaths of union ministers, MPs, judges and CAG — not of the President (the President’s oath is in Article 60 itself).
Fifth & Sixth Schedules: Scheduled Areas & Tribal Areas
Fifth Schedule — provisions for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in any state (other than the four north-eastern states listed below).
Sixth Schedule — administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram through Autonomous District Councils and Autonomous Regional Councils.
Memory hook: “5th = Fifth Avenue (any state’s tribal street); 6th = Six Sisters minus two (Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram).”
Seventh Schedule: Union, State & Concurrent Lists
The most exam-asked schedule. Under Articles 245 and 246, the Seventh Schedule distributes legislative powers into three lists:
- Union List (~100 subjects): Defence, foreign affairs, banking, currency, railways
- State List (~61 subjects): Police, public health, agriculture, liquor, land
- Concurrent List (~52 subjects): Education, forests, marriage, criminal law, electricity
SSC favourites: “education” and “forests” moved from the State List to the Concurrent List by the 42nd Amendment, 1976.
Eighth Schedule: 22 Official Languages
The Eighth Schedule lists 22 scheduled languages. Additions over time:
- Sindhi — 21st Amendment, 1967
- Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali — 71st Amendment, 1992
- Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali — 92nd Amendment, 2003
Memory hook: “8th = 22 tongues.” For the 2003 batch remember “B-D-M-S” — Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali.
Note: the 71st Amendment 1992 added three languages (Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali); a common MCQ distractor replaces Nepali with Bodo, which actually came in 2003.
Ninth Schedule: Land Reforms & Judicial Review
Added by the 1st Amendment, 1951, originally to protect land-reform laws from judicial challenge. In I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (2007), the Supreme Court held that laws placed in the Ninth Schedule after 24 April 1973 (Kesavananda Bharati) are open to judicial review if they violate the basic structure.
Memory hook: “9th = Nine lives for land laws — but courts can still review.”
Tenth Schedule: Anti-Defection Law
Added by the 52nd Amendment, 1985, the Tenth Schedule lays down grounds for disqualification of MPs and MLAs on grounds of defection:
- Voluntarily giving up party membership
- Voting (or abstaining) against party direction without prior permission/condonation
- An independent member joining a party
- A nominated member joining a party after six months
Exception: merger by two-thirds of a party’s members is not a disqualification. The deciding authority is the Chairman/Speaker.
Eleventh & Twelfth Schedules: Panchayati Raj & Municipalities
11th Schedule (73rd Amendment, 1992): 29 functional subjects for Panchayats — agriculture, minor irrigation, rural housing, drinking water, poverty alleviation, education, women and child development, etc.
12th Schedule (74th Amendment, 1992): 18 functional subjects for Municipalities — urban planning, water supply, public health, slum improvement, fire services, environment, etc.
Memory hook: “Panchayat = P for Plenty (29); Municipality = M for Modest (18).”
Memory Hooks: One-Line Mnemonics for All 12 Schedules
| No. | Content | 10-Second Hook |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | States & UTs | 1st = States list |
| 2 | Salaries/emoluments | 2nd = Salary slip |
| 3 | Oaths & affirmations | 3rd = Taking the Oath |
| 4 | Rajya Sabha seats | 4th = For Rajya Sabha |
| 5 | Scheduled Areas | 5th = Fifth Avenue tribal street |
| 6 | Tribal areas (AMTM) + councils | 6 = Six Sisters minus two |
| 7 | Union/State/Concurrent Lists | Lucky 7 = 3 lists |
| 8 | 22 languages | 8th = 22 tongues |
| 9 | Land reforms (1st Amdt 1951) | 9 lives for land laws |
| 10 | Anti-defection (52nd Amdt 1985) | Perfect 10 = party loyalty |
| 11 | Panchayats, 29 subjects (73rd) | P = Plenty (29) |
| 12 | Municipalities, 18 subjects (74th) | M = Modest (18) |
PYQ Practice: Questions SSC & State PSCs Actually Ask
- How many Schedules did the original Constitution contain? — (a) 10 (b) 12 (c) 8 (d) 9. Answer: (c) 8. The other four were added later.
- The Tenth Schedule deals with: — Answer: Anti-defection law (52nd Amendment, 1985).
- Which Schedule contains the Union, State and Concurrent Lists? — Answer: Seventh Schedule, under Articles 245–246.
- The 92nd Amendment (2003) added which languages? — Answer: Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali.
- Which Schedule was added first after 1950? — Answer: Ninth Schedule, 1st Amendment 1951.
- Sixth Schedule applies to which states? — Answer: Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram.
- Education was moved to the Concurrent List by: — Answer: 42nd Amendment, 1976.
- The I.R. Coelho case (2007) relates to: — Answer: Judicial review of Ninth Schedule laws.
- The 11th Schedule contains how many subjects? — Answer: 29 (Panchayats, 73rd Amendment).
- The 12th Schedule contains how many subjects? — Answer: 18 (Municipalities, 74th Amendment).
- Oaths of office are listed in: — Answer: Third Schedule (President’s oath is in Article 60).
- Merging with another party requires what fraction to avoid disqualification? — Answer: Two-thirds of the party’s members.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many Schedules does the Indian Constitution have?
12 Schedules — originally 8 in 1950, with the 9th added in 1951, the 10th in 1985, and the 11th & 12th in 1992.
Q: Which Schedule lists the official languages of India?
The Eighth Schedule, with 22 languages. Maithili, Santhali, Dogri and Bodo were added by the 92nd Amendment, 2003.
Q: Which Schedule deals with the anti-defection law?
The Tenth Schedule, added by the 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985.
Q: What is the difference between the Fifth and Sixth Schedule?
The Fifth covers Scheduled Areas in any state; the Sixth covers tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram with autonomous district and regional councils.
Q: Which Schedules relate to local government?
The Eleventh (Panchayats, 29 subjects) and Twelfth (Municipalities, 18 subjects), added by the 73rd and 74th Amendments in 1992.
Related reading
- Planning Commission to NITI Aayog: Structure, Functions and Differences for UPSC & SSC Exams
- NBFC vs Bank vs Payment Bank: Key Differences Every Exam Aspirant Must Know
Quick revision
- 9th Schedule: — 1st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951
- 10th Schedule: — 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985
- 11th Schedule: — 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
- 12th Schedule: — 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
- Union List (~100 subjects): Defence, foreign affairs, banking, currency, railways
- State List (~61 subjects): Police, public health, agriculture, liquor, land
Have a doubt on this topic?
