The Twelve Schedules of the Constitution
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A Complete, Standalone Reference
Overview
The Constitution's Schedules are lists/tables appended to the main text, providing detailed information referenced by specific articles. India's Constitution originally had 8 Schedules; it now has 12, with additions made by amendments over time. UPSC tests both the content of each Schedule and the article that refers to it — treat these as a paired fact ("Schedule X ↔ Article Y") for memorization.
Schedule-by-Schedule Reference
First Schedule
Content: Names of the states and Union Territories, and their territorial extent (boundaries). Related Articles: Articles 1 and 4. Note: This Schedule is amended whenever state boundaries change (e.g., after the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, or the 100th Amendment's land boundary exchange with Bangladesh).
Second Schedule
Content: Provisions relating to the emoluments, allowances, privileges, etc. of the President, Governors, Speaker/Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies, Chairman/Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha and state Legislative Councils, judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and the CAG. Related Articles: Articles 59, 65, 75, 97, 125, 148, 158, 164, 186, 221.
Third Schedule
Content: Forms of oaths or affirmations — for Union/state ministers, candidates for election to Parliament/state legislatures, MPs/MLAs, judges of the Supreme Court/High Courts, and the CAG. Related Articles: Articles 75, 84, 99, 124, 148, 164, 173, 188, 219.
Fourth Schedule
Content: Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to states and Union Territories. Related Articles: Articles 4 and 80.
Fifth Schedule
Content: Provisions relating to the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram (see Chapter 5.2 for detailed treatment). Related Articles: Article 244(1).
Sixth Schedule
Content: Provisions for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, via elected Autonomous District/Regional Councils (see Chapter 5.2 for detailed treatment). Related Articles: Article 244(2) and Article 275(1).
Seventh Schedule
Content: The Union List (List I), State List (List II), and Concurrent List (List III) — the division of legislative subjects between the Centre and states (see Chapter 11.4 for detailed treatment). Related Articles: Article 246. Subject Counts (as they currently stand, having changed via amendments — e.g., the 42nd Amendment moved subjects from State to Concurrent List): Union List has around 100 subjects (originally 97), State List around 61 (originally 66), Concurrent List around 52 (originally 47).
Eighth Schedule
Content: The 22 officially recognized languages of India (see Chapter 11.5 for the complete list and amendment history). Related Articles: Articles 344(1) and 351. Complete List of 22 Languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri (Meitei), Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.
Ninth Schedule
Content: Contains Acts and Regulations (primarily land reform laws, but expanded over time to cover various other subjects) that are protected from judicial review on the ground of violating Fundamental Rights. Related Article: Article 31B. Key Development: Added by the First Amendment, 1951. 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 (the date of the Kesavananda Bharati judgment) are not automatically immune from judicial review — they can still be tested against the basic structure doctrine. This significantly curtailed the previously near-total protective effect of Ninth Schedule inclusion.
Tenth Schedule
Content: The Anti-Defection Law — provisions for disqualification of MPs/MLAs on grounds of defection from their political party. Related Articles: Articles 102(2) and 191(2). Key Development: Added by the 52nd Amendment, 1985. Grounds for disqualification: (a) voluntarily giving up party membership; (b) voting/abstaining contrary to the party's whip without prior permission (unless condoned within 15 days); (c) an independently-elected member joining a party; (d) a nominated member joining a party after 6 months of taking their seat. Exception: A "merger" is not defection if at least 2/3rds of a legislative party's members agree to the merger with another party (the earlier 1/3rd "split" exception was removed by the 91st Amendment, 2003). The Speaker/Chairman decides disqualification questions — a decision that has been held to be subject to judicial review (in Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu, 1992).
Eleventh Schedule
Content: 29 subjects for Panchayats (see Chapter 6.1 for the complete list). Related Article: Article 243G. Key Development: Added by the 73rd Amendment, 1992.
Twelfth Schedule
Content: 18 subjects for Municipalities (see Chapter 6.2 for the complete list). Related Article: Article 243W. Key Development: Added by the 74th Amendment, 1992.
Common Traps
- Original Constitution had 8 Schedules — the Ninth (1951), Tenth (1985), Eleventh (1992), and Twelfth (1992) were all added later by specific amendments — a frequently tested "which Schedule was added when" question set.
- The Ninth Schedule's protective effect is NOT absolute post-2007 (I.R. Coelho case) — laws added after 24 April 1973 can still be challenged on basic-structure grounds.
- Fourth Schedule (Rajya Sabha seat allocation) is often confused with the Seventh Schedule (legislative lists) due to similar-sounding descriptions — keep these numerically distinct.
- Anti-defection exception threshold: 2/3rds for merger (current rule) — NOT 1/3rd (that was the pre-2003 "split" exception, since removed).
Solved Example (UPSC Prelims-Format MCQ)
Q1. Consider the following statements about the Ninth Schedule:
- It was added by the First Constitutional Amendment, 1951.
- Laws placed in it are completely immune from judicial review under all circumstances.
- Laws added to it after 24 April 1973 can be tested against the basic structure doctrine.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 3 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) — Statement 2 is incorrect, per the I.R. Coelho (2007) ruling.
Practice Set (Exam-Format MCQs)
Q1. Which Schedule of the Constitution deals with the Anti-Defection Law? (a) Ninth Schedule (b) Tenth Schedule (c) Eleventh Schedule (d) Twelfth Schedule Answer: (b)
Q2. The forms of oaths and affirmations for various constitutional offices are contained in which Schedule? (a) First Schedule (b) Second Schedule (c) Third Schedule (d) Fourth Schedule Answer: (c)
Q3. Which Schedule allocates seats in the Rajya Sabha to states and Union Territories? (a) Second Schedule (b) Third Schedule (c) Fourth Schedule (d) Seventh Schedule Answer: (c)
Q4. How many languages are currently listed in the Eighth Schedule? (a) 18 (b) 20 (c) 22 (d) 24 Answer: (c)
Q5. The threshold for a "merger" to be exempted from disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law is: (a) 1/3rd of the legislative party's members (b) 1/2 of the legislative party's members (c) 2/3rds of the legislative party's members (d) 3/4th of the legislative party's members Answer: (c)
Q6. Which case significantly curtailed the automatic judicial-review immunity of Ninth Schedule laws? (a) Kesavananda Bharati case (b) I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (c) Minerva Mills case (d) Golaknath case Answer: (b)
Q7. In which case did the Supreme Court hold that a Speaker's decision on disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law is subject to judicial review? (a) Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu (b) S.R. Bommai case (c) Kesavananda Bharati case (d) Indra Sawhney case Answer: (a)
Q8. Emoluments and privileges of the President, Governors, and judges are detailed in which Schedule? (a) First Schedule (b) Second Schedule (c) Third Schedule (d) Fifth Schedule Answer: (b)
Q9. The Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules were both added by amendments passed in which year? (a) 1985 (b) 1992 (c) 2003 (d) 2011 Answer: (b)
Q10. Which of the following Schedules was part of the ORIGINAL Constitution of 1950 (i.e., NOT added later by amendment)? (a) Ninth Schedule (b) Tenth Schedule (c) Seventh Schedule (d) Eleventh Schedule Answer: (c) — The original Constitution had 8 Schedules, and the Seventh (Union/State/Concurrent Lists) was among them; Ninth (1951), Tenth (1985), Eleventh (1992), and Twelfth (1992) were all later additions.
Chapter 14 Quick Revision Sheet
| Schedule | Content | Added By |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | States/UTs and boundaries | Original (1950) |
| 2nd | Emoluments/privileges of high offices | Original (1950) |
| 3rd | Forms of oaths/affirmations | Original (1950) |
| 4th | Rajya Sabha seat allocation | Original (1950) |
| 5th | Scheduled Areas/Tribes administration | Original (1950) |
| 6th | Tribal Areas (Assam/Meghalaya/Tripura/Mizoram) | Original (1950) |
| 7th | Union/State/Concurrent Lists | Original (1950) |
| 8th | 22 official languages | Original (1950), expanded by later amendments |
| 9th | Laws immune from FR-based judicial review (limited post-2007) | 1st Amendment, 1951 |
| 10th | Anti-Defection Law | 52nd Amendment, 1985 |
| 11th | 29 Panchayat subjects | 73rd Amendment, 1992 |
| 12th | 18 Municipality subjects | 74th Amendment, 1992 |