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The privy purses and privileges of the former rulers of princely states were abolished by the:
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Answer: Option D — 26th Amendment Act, 1971
Detailed Solution
At the time of Independence, there were more than 560 princely states in India. Their rulers agreed to merge their states with India, largely through the efforts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and V.P. Menon. In return, they were promised an annual payment from the government called a privy purse, along with certain privileges, such as titles, exemption from some taxes and customs duties, and special honours. These were guaranteed under Articles 291 and 362 of the Constitution.
The privy purses were fixed according to the size and revenue of each state and ranged from a few thousand rupees to large sums. The Nizam of Hyderabad and the Maharajas of Mysore, Travancore, Baroda and Jaipur received among the highest amounts.
Over time, the privy purses were criticised as being against the idea of equality and as a burden on public funds. In 1970, the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi tried to end them through a constitutional amendment, which passed the Lok Sabha but failed in the Rajya Sabha by one vote. The President then issued an order "de-recognising" the rulers, but the Supreme Court struck it down in the Madhav Rao Scindia case (1970).
After winning the 1971 general elections with a large majority, the government passed the 26th Amendment Act, 1971. It:
Deleted Articles 291 and 362.
Inserted Article 363A, which ended the recognition of the rulers of former princely states and abolished their privy purses and privileges.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The 24th Amendment (1971) affirmed Parliament's power to amend any part of the Constitution, including Fundamental Rights.
- ✗The 25th Amendment (1971) curtailed the right to property and added Article 31C.
- ✗The 42nd Amendment (1976) is the "Mini Constitution".
Quick tip
Remember: 26th Amendment (1971) = abolition of privy purses (Article 363A; Articles 291 and 362 deleted); 24th = Parliament can amend Fundamental Rights; 25th = Article 31C.
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Constitutional Amendments — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Constitutional Amendments, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the procedure for amending the Constitution under Article 368 and the most important amendments, such as the 1st, 7th, 42nd, 44th, 52nd, 61st, 73rd, 74th, 86th, 101st and 103rd Amendments, along with the basic structure doctrine. Exams ask what a particular amendment did: the 61st lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, the 73rd and 74th gave constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities, the 86th made education a Fundamental Right, and the 101st introduced GST. The 42nd Amendment (1976) is often called the 'mini-Constitution' because of how much it changed. Practise the constitutional amendments questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.