---
title: "First Amendment: Key Differences Explained | Model Diplomat"
description: "The First Amendment refers to the first formal change to a constitution, differing in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the US. Essential for civil services."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/first-amendment"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The First Amendment most commonly denotes the first formal alteration to a national constitution, though its content differs sharply between the Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and American systems.
- What did the Indian Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951, principally introduce?
- Why is Bangladesh's First Amendment (1973) significant?
- How did Pakistan's First Amendment of 1974 alter the Constitution?
- How does the U.S. First Amendment differ from India's free-speech guarantee?

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

The First Amendment most commonly denotes the first formal alteration to a national constitution, though its content differs sharply between the Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and American systems.

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Example

In 1951, Jawaharlal Nehru's Provisional Parliament passed India's First Amendment, adding the Ninth Schedule via Article 31B to shield zamindari-abolition land-reform laws from judicial review, a move upheld in Shankari Prasad v. Union of India (1951).

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