The Constitution (Nineteenth Amendment) Act

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

When the Nineteenth Amendment Act, 1966, was introduced in the Lok Sabha, it was titled as the Constitution (Twenty-First) Amendment, Bill, 1966, which sought to amend Article 324 of the Indian Constitution. The Bill was accepted in the Lok Sabha and was passed with a formal amendment in clause 1, changing the short title to “Constitution (Nineteenth Amendment) Act” on 22 and 30 November 1966, respectively, and clause 2 was adopted in the original form.

Then Minister of Law, Gopal Swarup Pathak on the recommendations made by the Election Commission in its Report on the Third General Elections in India in 1962 introduced the Bill, which relates to the abolition of election tribunals and trial of election petitions by High Courts. The Bill sought to amend Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, which provides the Election Commission the power of superintendence, direction, and control of elections. The Law Minister stated that in consideration of Bill’s acceptance it is necessary to amend the existing Article 324(1). 

WHAT IS THERE?

The only Amendment was:-

• Under Article 324(1), the expression, "including the appointment of election tribunals for the decision of doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with elections to Parliament and the Legislatures of States" was omitted.

CONCLUSION

This Amendment brought changes from the Judiciary’s perspective. Now that the election tribunals were abolished and the High Court can take up matters regarding elections i.e. election petitions. Election petitions refer to the procedure for challenging parliamentary results in the Court of Law.