---
title: "42nd Amendment: Secular in the Preamble | Model Diplomat"
description: "The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 added \"Secular\" to India's Preamble during the Emergency. Learn its legal basis, the Kesavananda link, and why UPSC tests it."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/42nd-amendment-secular-preamble"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 inserted the word "Secular" into the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, formally declaring India a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic.
- Did the 42nd Amendment make India a secular state, or was it already secular?
- How could the Preamble be amended at all?
- Why did the 44th Amendment of 1978 not remove 'Secular'?
- What is the significance of S. R. Bommai for Preamble secularism?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 18 December 1976

   Enacted on and brought into force in stages from 3 January 1977, the amendment changed the description of the polity from a "Sovereign Democratic Republic"…

2. 3 January 1977

   Enacted on 18 December 1976 and brought into force in stages from , the amendment changed the description of the polity from a "Sovereign Democratic Republic…

3. 25 June 1975

   Enacted on 18 December 1976 and brought into force in stages from 3 January 1977, the amendment changed the description of the polity from a "Sovereign Democ…

4. 26 November 1949

   The 2024 ruling has, for now, foreclosed judicial deletion, affirming that the date of adoption in the Preamble () does not freeze its text against subsequen…

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Example

In November 2024, the Supreme Court of India, in petitions led by Subramanian Swamy and Balram Singh, dismissed challenges to the words "Socialist" and "Secular," upholding the 42nd Amendment's 1976 insertion into the Preamble.

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