User:Abecedare/Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution of India

The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution of India abolished the privy purses and privileges of the rulers of former princely states of India. It also ceased recognition of the erstwhile rulers and their successors. The amendment was adopted on 28th December, 1971.

Legislative history
The retention by the erstwhile princes of their titles, privileges and palaces, and the payment they received from the government were thought to be incompatible with the goals of an egalitarian society, especially in a nation in which so many people remained poor. Therefore, in 1967, efforts began to end the provision of privy purses and privileges through talks between the then Home Minister Y. B. Chavan and the princes, represented by the Maharaja of Dhrangadhra. These negotiations continued, off and on, till 1969 but with little progress. Finally, on May 18, 1970, Chavan introduced the Constitution (Twenty Fourth Amendment) Bill (1970) to abolish the privy purses and privileges of the erstwhile Rulers of Princely States. After a two day debate, the bill passed the Lok Sabha on September 2, 1970 on a 336 to 155 vote, meeting the two-third margin requirement specified in Article 368 of the Indian Constitution for constitutional amendments. However the bill failed to meet that margin in the Rajya Sabha by a single vote. Nevertheless the government derecognised the princes through a presidential order. The princes appealed to the Indian Supreme Court, which ruled in their favour on December 11, 1970 and declared the presidential order to be arbitrary and unconstitutional.

Partially in response to this and other judgments by the Supreme court, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called for early Lok Sabha elections in 1971, in which she led her party to a landslide victory. Strengthened by the election results Gandhi refused a compromise with the princes that would have them retain their royal titles, and again introduced a bill to abolish the princely privileges on August 9, 1971. This time, the bill easily passed the Lok Sabha on December 2, 1971 on a 381 to 6 vote count, and the Rajya Sabha on December 9 with 167 votes for, and seven against. The Constitution (Twenty Sixth Amendment) Act, 1971 was adopted on December 28th after Presidential assent.