Indian Polity & Constitution
🔒 Log in to trackPanchayati Raj, Municipalities and Emergency
🔒 Log in to trackThe 73rd Amendment made Panchayats constitutional. The 74th Amendment did the same for Municipalities. Emergency provisions sit in Part XVIII (Articles 352-360). There are three kinds: National (352), President's Rule (356) and Financial (360).
Panchayati Raj committees
| Committee | Year | Idea |
|---|---|---|
| Balwant Rai Mehta | 1957 | Three-tier system |
| Ashok Mehta | 1977 | Two-tier: Zila Parishad and Mandal Panchayat |
| G.V.K. Rao | 1985 | District as the basic unit of planning |
| L.M. Singhvi | 1986 | Constitutional status, Gram Sabha as the base |
| P.K. Thungon | 1988 | Constitutional recognition |
The scheme began at Nagaur, Rajasthan, on 2 October 1959. Nehru inaugurated it.
Tip: Balwant is three. Ashok is two. Singhvi is constitutional status.
The 73rd Amendment (1992): Part IX
It took effect on 24 April 1993, now National Panchayati Raj Day.
- The Gram Sabha is the base. It includes all registered voters of a village.
- Three tiers: village, intermediate, Zila Parishad. States with under 20 lakh people may skip the middle tier.
- Term: 5 years. Elections follow within 6 months if a panchayat is dissolved.
- Seats are reserved for SC/ST in proportion. At least one-third of seats are for women. Many states give 50%. Bihar was first, in 2006.
- State Election Commission (Article 243K) runs the elections.
- State Finance Commission (Article 243-I) reviews finances every 5 years.
- The Eleventh Schedule lists 29 subjects.
The 74th Amendment (1992): Part IX-A
It took effect on 1 June 1993. Articles are 243P-243ZG. The Twelfth Schedule lists 18 subjects.
| Area | Body |
|---|---|
| Transitional area | Nagar Panchayat |
| Smaller urban area | Municipal Council |
| Larger urban area | Municipal Corporation |
Wards committees are needed for municipalities with 3 lakh or more people. The 97th Amendment (2011) added Part IX-B for cooperative societies.
National Emergency: Article 352
It has been proclaimed three times: 1962 (China), 1971 (Pakistan) and 1975.
- Grounds: war, external aggression, armed rebellion (the 44th Amendment replaced 'internal disturbance').
- Both Houses must approve within one month. Each approval lasts 6 months and can be renewed.
- Article 358 suspends Article 19 automatically, only in war or external aggression.
- Article 359 lets the President suspend other rights by order. Articles 20 and 21 can never be suspended.
President's Rule and Financial Emergency
President's Rule (Article 356) applies when a state's constitutional machinery fails.
- First used in Kerala in 1959. It has been imposed over 130 times.
- Parliament must approve within 2 months. It lasts 6 months at a time, up to 3 years.
- S.R. Bommai (1994) made the proclamation subject to judicial review. It also said a ministry's majority is tested on the floor of the House.
Financial Emergency (Article 360) covers threats to financial stability. Salaries of officials, including judges, can be cut. It has never been imposed.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
73rd Amendment structure
The question asks what the Gram Sabha consists of, who runs panchayat elections, or how many subjects the Eleventh Schedule has.
The base is the Gram Sabha: all registered voters of the village.
The tiers are village, intermediate and Zila Parishad. States under 20 lakh may skip the middle tier.
Term 5 years. Women get at least one-third. The SEC (243K) runs elections.
The SFC (243-I) meets every 5 years. The Eleventh Schedule has 29 subjects.
Every structural fact has one number or article.
A State Finance Commission is constituted once in how many years?
Show solutionHide solution
It reviews the finances of panchayats.
Article 243-I gives the rule.
Five years
Committee and recommendation
The question asks which committee recommended a two-tier system or constitutional status.
Balwant Rai Mehta (1957): three-tier. Ashok Mehta (1977): two-tier.
G.V.K. Rao (1985): district planning. Singhvi (1986): constitutional status and Gram Sabha.
Thungon (1988): constitutional recognition.
Do not swap the two Mehtas.
Each committee has one headline idea.
Which committee recommended a two-tier Panchayati Raj system with Zila Parishad and Mandal Panchayat?
Show solutionHide solution
It is a 1977 committee.
It is not the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee.
The Ashok Mehta Committee (1977)
74th Amendment and urban bodies
The question asks how many subjects the Twelfth Schedule has, or which body suits a transitional area.
The Twelfth Schedule has 18 subjects. Part IX-A took effect on 1 June 1993.
Transitional area: Nagar Panchayat. Smaller urban: Municipal Council. Larger urban: Municipal Corporation.
Wards committees are needed above 3 lakh people.
The three bodies match three sizes of area.
For a transitional area, the 74th Amendment provides for which body?
Show solutionHide solution
Smaller urban areas get Councils.
Larger ones get Corporations.
A Nagar Panchayat
National Emergency (Article 352)
The question asks which amendment introduced 'armed rebellion', the approval period, or which rights are never suspended.
Grounds: war, external aggression, armed rebellion (44th Amendment).
Both Houses approve within one month. Renewals last 6 months each.
Article 358 suspends Article 19 automatically in war or external aggression.
Article 359 allows suspension of other rights. Articles 20 and 21 are never suspended.
The 44th Amendment sits behind most of the numbers.
Which Fundamental Rights can never be suspended during an Emergency?
Show solutionHide solution
The 44th Amendment protected two Articles.
They cover conviction protection and life and liberty.
Articles 20 and 21
President's Rule and Financial Emergency
The question asks the approval period for Article 356, the maximum duration, or which case made it reviewable.
Article 356: approval within 2 months, 6-month spells, maximum 3 years.
S.R. Bommai (1994): judicial review, and a majority test on the floor of the House.
Article 360 has never been used.
Bommai and the time limits carry most of the marks.
Which case held that a proclamation under Article 356 is subject to judicial review?
Show solutionHide solution
It was decided in 1994.
It also said the majority is tested in the House.
S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994)
Panchayati Raj milestones
The question asks where or when Panchayati Raj began, or when the 73rd Amendment took effect.
The scheme was launched at Nagaur, Rajasthan, on 2 October 1959.
The 73rd Amendment took effect on 24 April 1993 (National Panchayati Raj Day).
Bihar was first to raise women's reservation to 50% (2006).
Dates and places are fixed and easy to test.
On which date is National Panchayati Raj Day observed?
Show solutionHide solution
It marks the day the 73rd Amendment took effect.
The year was 1993.
24 April
Shortcuts that save time
Balwant-3 (1957), Ashok-2 (1977), Rao-district (1985), Singhvi-Constitution (1986). Remember the years as 57, 77, 85, 86.
Which committee's report led to the Nagaur launch on 2 October 1959?
Show solutionHide solution
The Nagaur launch followed the 1957 report.
That committee recommended a three-tier system.
The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
352 is National, with three proclamations (1962, 1971, 1975). 356 is President's Rule, first used in Kerala in 1959. 360 is Financial, used zero times.
Which state first faced President's Rule in 1959?
Show solutionHide solution
Recall the state first placed under Article 356.
The elected government of E.M.S. Namboodiripad was dismissed.
Kerala
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Saying the 73rd Amendment created Panchayats in 1959.
1959 is only Rajasthan's launch. Constitutional status came in 1992-93.
Mixing the 11th Schedule (29 subjects) with the 12th (18).
Eleventh is panchayats. Twelfth is municipalities.
Saying a Financial Emergency was declared once.
Article 360 has never been used.
Swapping the two Mehtas.
Balwant Rai is three-tier. Ashok Mehta is two-tier.
Thinking Article 19 is suspended in every Emergency.
Article 358 applies only in war or external aggression.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
73rd: Part IX, 24 April 1993, three tiers, Gram Sabha, 29 subjects, SEC and SFC every 5 years.
Committees: Balwant Rai three-tier (1957), Ashok Mehta two-tier (1977), Singhvi constitutional status (1986).
74th: Part IX-A, 1 June 1993, 18 subjects, Nagar Panchayat, Council, Corporation.
National Emergency: 'armed rebellion', approval within one month, renewal every 6 months.
Articles 20 and 21 are never suspended. Article 358 suspends Article 19 automatically.
President's Rule: 2-month approval, 6-month spells, 3-year limit. Bommai (1994): judicial review.
Financial Emergency (Article 360) has never been proclaimed.
Practice: 15 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 4 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.