{"id":5841,"date":"2026-09-15T15:06:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T09:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/?p=5841"},"modified":"2026-09-15T16:09:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T10:39:12","slug":"104th-constitutional-amendment-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/104th-constitutional-amendment-act\/","title":{"rendered":"104th Constitutional Amendment Act, Features, Need, Impacts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The<strong> 104th Constitutional Amendment Act<\/strong>, passed in 2020, is a significant legislative measure reflecting India's changing approach to political representation and social justice. This amendment primarily focuses on increasing the number of seats reserved for <\/span>Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies while <\/span>eliminating the Anglo-Indian reservation.<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The amendment seeks to maintain political representation for marginalised communities while adapting to shifting social dynamics.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">104th Constitutional Amendment Act<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act was passed by the Indian Parliament in 2020. This <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/indian-constitution-amendments\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">constitutional amendment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> ended the <\/span>Anglo-Indian community's seat reservation<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies while extending it for<\/span> Scheduled Castes (SCs) <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and <\/span>Scheduled Tribes (STs) <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">for another ten years.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reservation of seats in Parliament (Articles 330, 331 &amp; 333)<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) have reserved seats in the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parliament<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, state assemblies, and urban and rural local bodies. Without a distinct electorate, all voters in a constituency elect these reserved members. Members of the SC and ST communities are not barred from running for a general (unreserved) seat.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Article 330<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: According to Article 330 of the Indian Constitution and Section 3 of the <\/span><b>Representation of the People Act of 1951<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, seats in the Lok Sabha are allocated based on the <\/span><b>proportion of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the state <\/span><b>based on its population<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Article 331:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Article 331 of the Indian Constitution allowed the President of India to nominate up to two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha if the community lacked adequate representation.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><b>reservation of Anglo-Indians<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> refers to a provision in India's Constitution that granted <\/span><b>reserved seats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the <\/span><b>Lok Sabha <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and <\/span><b>state legislative assemblies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to members of the Anglo-Indian community.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was intended to ensure their political representation, as they were a small minority with limited numbers and influence.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Article 333: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Article 333 of the Constitution of India gave the Governor of a state the power to nominate one member of the Anglo-Indian community to the State Legislative Assembly if the community lacked adequate representation.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/indian-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Indian Constitution<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> established this system in 1950, intending to keep it in place for the first 10 years to ensure political participation by groups deemed weak, marginalised, under-represented, and in need of special protection.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">104th Constitutional Amendment Act Features<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2020 extends SCs\/STs seat reservations in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies until 2030 while abolishing the Anglo-Indian reserved seats. It also amends Article 334 to reflect these changes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Extension of SC\/ST Reservation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The amendment extends the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for another <\/span><b>ten years<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><b>until 2030.<\/b><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Abolition of the Anglo-Indian Reservation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The amendment removed the provision for the Anglo-Indian community to be represented by two seats in the Lok Sabha and one in the State Legislative Assemblies. This provision was initially enacted to ensure the representation of this small community.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Article 334 Amendment:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Article 334, which initially provided for the reservation of seats for SCs, STs, and Anglo-Indians in Parliament and State Assemblies, was also amended to reflect the abolition of the Anglo-Indian reservation while retaining the SCs\/STs reservation.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Effective Date:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act was enacted in December 2019 and became effective January 25, 2020.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">104th Constitutional Amendment Act Reasons for Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act was introduced to address the evolving needs of India's socio-political landscape, particularly regarding political representation and the relevance of reservations.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Continued Social Disadvantage of SCs and STs: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite significant progress made by the SCs and STs over the last 70 years, the factors that influenced the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/constituent-assembly-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Constituent Assembly<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">'s decision to make provisions for the aforementioned seat reservation still exist.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a result, an amendment to the Constitution was proposed to preserve the Constitution's inclusive character, as envisioned by the founding fathers.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Anglo-Indian Population Decline: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the years, the Anglo-Indian community's population has decreased significantly, raising concerns about the need for reserved seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for this small group.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Modernising Representation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The amendment modernises the framework for political representation in response to sociopolitical developments.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It reflects India's <\/span><b>changing demographic realities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and the need for a more equitable and practical approach to reservations.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">104th Constitutional Amendment Act Criticism<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act faced criticism for not extending reservations for the Anglo-Indian community, unlike Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Critics argue this decision marginalises the already small community and <\/span><b>undermines minority rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Loss of Political Representation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Critics argue that removing reserved seats for Anglo-Indians marginalises an already small, declining community, depriving them of a voice in legislative bodies.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Minority Rights Erosion:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The removal of these reservations is seen as a setback for minority rights, raising concerns about the government's commitment to all minority groups, not just larger ones.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Lack of Justification:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The amendment supports SC\/ST reservations but fails to explain why Anglo-Indian reservations were removed. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/supreme-court-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supreme Court of India<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has cautioned against interpreting laws without need, and the decision overlooks a 2013 report on the community's struggles with cultural loss and unemployment.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">104th Constitutional Amendment Act Impacts<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><b>104th Constitutional Amendment Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> extended SCs and STs political reservations until 2030 while abolishing reserved nominations for the Anglo-Indian community. It had significant impacts on India's political landscape, particularly concerning the <\/span><b>representation of marginalised communities in legislative bodies.<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Continued empowerment of SCs and STs: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The extension of SC\/ST reservations will ensure their continued political empowerment, allowing them to participate in the legislative process and advocate for their interests.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Adaptation to Social Changes:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The decision to discontinue reservations for the Anglo-Indian community, whose population has significantly decreased, adapts to changing demographic and social realities.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Potential for Reduced Minority Representation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The removal of Anglo-Indian reservations may lead to a decline in political representation for this community, which could affect their ability to advocate for their interests.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Influence in Reservation Policy Debates: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The amendment could impact future debates about reservation policy, particularly the need for periodic reviews and the eventual phasing out of certain reservations.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">104th Constitutional Amendment Act UPSC PYQs<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><b>Q1: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) can enforce the implementation of constitutional reservation for the Scheduled Castes in the religious minority institutions? Examine. <\/span><b>(UPSC Mains 2018)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Q2:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> As per Article 368 of the Constitution of India, the Parliament may amend any provision of the Constitution by way of : <\/span><b>(UPSC Prelims 2024)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Addition<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Variation<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Repeal<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Select the correct answer using the code given below :<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(a) 1 and 2 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(b) 2 and 3 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(c) 1 and 3 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(d) 1, 2 and 3<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Ans: (d)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Q3:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Consider the following statements: <\/span><b>(UPSC Prelims 2013)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> An amendment to the Constitution of India can be initiated by the introduction of a bill in the Lok Sabha only.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> If such an amendment seeks to make changes in the federal character of the Constitution, the amendment also requires to be ratified by the legislatures of all the States of India.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Which of the statements given above is\/are correct?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(a) 1 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(b) 2 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(c) Both 1 and 2 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(d) Neither 1 nor 2<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Ans: (d)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse;width: 88.7337%;height: 187px\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td class=\"tb-color\" style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Other Related posts\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/indian-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\">Indian Constitution<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/sources-of-indian-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sources of Indian Constitution<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/constituent-assembly-making-of-the-indian-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\">Constituent Assembly<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/comparison-of-india-uk-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\">Comparison of India-UK Constitution<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/indian-constitution-amendments\/\" target=\"_blank\">Indian Constitution Amendments<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/constitutionalism\/\" target=\"_blank\">Constitutionalism<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/44th-constitutional-amendment-act\/\" target=\"_blank\">44th Constitutional Amendment Act<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/important-articles-of-indian-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\">Important Articles of Indian Constitution<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/103rd-constitutional-amendment-act\/\" target=\"_blank\">103rd Constitutional Amendment Act<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/doctrine-of-checks-and-balances\/\" target=\"_blank\">Doctrine of Checks and Balances<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/basic-structure\/\" target=\"_blank\">Basic Structure Doctrine<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/separation-of-powers\/\" target=\"_blank\">Separation of Powers in India<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act deals with the reservation for SCs, STs, and Anglo-Indian communities in the Parliament. Check its Features, Criticism, etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,27],"tags":[822,40,632],"class_list":["post-5841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-notes","category-upsc-polity-notes","tag-104th-constitutional-amendment-act","tag-quest","tag-upsc-polity-notes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5841"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29919,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5841\/revisions\/29919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}