The Schedules of the Indian Constitution Explained

Open the Indian Constitution and you will find a long list of Articles, but tucked away at the end is a set of appendices that quietly do an enormous amount of work. The Schedules of the Constitution are detailed tables, lists and special provisions that support the main text. They tell us which states and union territories exist, how much the President is paid, which languages are recognised, who decides what between Delhi and the state capitals, and how tribal regions and village councils are to be run.

Placing this material in separate Schedules keeps the Articles short, readable and focused on principles. When the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, it carried 8 Schedules. Today it has 12, with four added through amendments. This explainer walks through all twelve in plain language, shows how and why the later ones arrived, and explains why these “appendices” shape everyday governance in India.

What Are the Schedules of the Constitution?

The word “Schedule” simply means a list or table attached to a legal document. In the Indian Constitution, the Articles are grouped into Parts and lay down the broad rules of government. Whenever an Article needs a long list, a form of words or a technical table, it points to a Schedule instead of cramming the details into the text. For instance, Article 1 describes India as a Union of States, and the First Schedule then names those states and territories.

Why a separate section was needed

The framers of the Constitution were drafting one of the longest written constitutions in the world. Details such as the text of oaths or the list of languages are likely to change, while core principles like equality or the separation of powers are meant to last. By parking the changeable details in Schedules, the drafters kept the Articles cleaner and made some updates easier.

Do Schedules have legal force?

Yes. A Schedule is an integral part of the Constitution, not a footnote. Each one is linked to specific Articles, and the Article gives it legal effect. The Third Schedule, for example, is invoked by the Articles that require oaths, while the Eighth Schedule is referred to in Articles 344 and 351. Treat them as the working machinery that lets the main provisions function.

From Eight to Twelve: How the Schedules Grew

The original Constitution contained 395 Articles in 22 Parts, together with 8 Schedules. As India’s politics, economy and society evolved, Parliament used the amendment power under Article 368 to add four more. Each addition tells a small story about the priorities of its time.

The pattern behind the additions

The Ninth Schedule belongs to the early years of the Republic, when land reform and social-justice laws were being tested in courts. The Tenth reflects the political instability of the 1960s and 1970s, when frequent party-switching toppled governments. The Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules belong to the push for decentralisation in the early 1990s, which gave village and city governments constitutional recognition. Several of the original Schedules have also been amended repeatedly, for example to add states, languages or entries in the legislative lists.

All twelve Schedules at a glance

The table below gives a one-line summary of each Schedule. The sections that follow explain them in detail.

First to Fourth Schedules: Territory, Pay, Oaths and Representation

First Schedule: states and union territories

The First Schedule lists the States in Part I and the Union Territories in Part II, along with a description of their territories. It is the document that changes whenever India redraws its map. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956, the creation of new states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960 and later states, and the 2019 reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir have all been reflected here. Because Articles 3 and 4 allow Parliament to alter states by ordinary law, changes to this Schedule do not require the special amendment procedure.

Second Schedule: salaries and allowances

This Schedule deals with the emoluments of the President, the Governors, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, their counterparts in state legislatures, the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and the Comptroller and Auditor General. Over the years, Parliament has revised the actual amounts through ordinary legislation, but the Schedule remains the constitutional home of these provisions and protects key offices from arbitrary pay cuts.

Third Schedule: oaths and affirmations

The Third Schedule gives the prescribed forms of oaths or affirmations for Union and State ministers, candidates for legislatures, members of Parliament and state legislatures, judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and the Comptroller and Auditor General. The oaths of the President and Governors are placed in the Articles themselves.

Fourth Schedule: Rajya Sabha seats

The Fourth Schedule allocates seats in the Rajya Sabha among the States and Union Territories. The Constitution allows a maximum strength of 250, of whom 12 are nominated for expertise in literature, science, art and social service. The Schedule is revised when states are created or reorganised.

Fifth and Sixth Schedules: Governing Tribal Areas

Fifth Schedule: Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes

The Fifth Schedule, linked to Article 244(1), provides a protective framework for administering Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than the four covered by the Sixth Schedule. The President can declare an area to be a Scheduled Area, and can alter or rescind such declarations after consulting the Governor of the state concerned. Several states with large tribal populations, including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, have Scheduled Areas.

The role of the Governor

The Governor holds special responsibilities in these areas. The Governor can direct that a particular Act of Parliament or the state legislature will not apply to a Scheduled Area, or will apply with specified changes. The Governor may also make regulations to prohibit or restrict the transfer of land from tribal people and to regulate money-lending to them. These powers aim to protect tribal land, which is central to livelihoods and culture.

Tribes Advisory Council

States with Scheduled Areas must set up a Tribes Advisory Council, with up to twenty members, of whom about three-fourths are representatives of Scheduled Tribes in the legislative assembly. The Council advises on the welfare and advancement of Scheduled Tribes as the Governor may refer to it. Unlike the Sixth Schedule, the Fifth does not create elected district councils with lawmaking powers; it works through the Governor and the state government. The Fifth Schedule can be amended by Parliament by simple majority, outside the usual Article 368 route.

Sixth Schedule: Autonomous Councils in the Northeast

The Sixth Schedule, connected to Articles 244(2) and 275(1), applies to tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. It recognises that many northeastern tribal communities have distinct customs, land systems and social structures that require a higher degree of self-governance than the Fifth Schedule offers. The framework grew out of the Constituent Assembly’s debates and the recommendations of a sub-committee on northeastern tribal areas.

Autonomous districts and regions

The tribal areas are organised as autonomous districts, and where different Scheduled Tribes live within a district, the Governor can create autonomous regions. Each autonomous district has an Autonomous District Council of up to thirty members, most of them elected and a few nominated by the Governor, serving a normal term of five years. Regional councils are formed for autonomous regions.

Powers of the councils

The councils can make laws on specified subjects such as the management of land (other than reserved forests), forests other than reserved forests, the use of canals and water for agriculture, village administration, inheritance of property, marriage and divorce, and social customs, subject to the Governor’s assent. They can set up village courts, establish primary schools and markets, and levy certain taxes such as those on land and buildings, professions, trades and entertainment. The Bodoland Territorial Council, created through the 2003 amendment, is one example of an autonomous body under this Schedule. Around ten such councils exist across the four states.

Seventh Schedule: The Division of Powers

If one Schedule defines Indian federalism, it is the Seventh. Under Article 246, it divides legislative subjects between Parliament and the state legislatures through three lists.

• Union List: subjects on which only Parliament can legislate, such as defence, foreign affairs, atomic energy, currency, railways, banking and citizenship. It originally had 97 entries and now has about 100.
• State List: subjects for the state legislatures, such as public order, police, public health, local government, agriculture and land. It originally had 66 entries and now has roughly 60.
• Concurrent List: subjects on which both can make laws, such as criminal law, marriage, bankruptcy, population control and family planning, trade unions and electricity. It originally had 47 entries and now has 52. If a central and a state law conflict, the central law generally prevails.

Residuary powers and changes over time

Subjects not found in any list belong to Parliament under Article 248, which makes India’s arrangement more Union-leaning than some other federations. The model was inspired by the Government of India Act 1935. The 42nd Amendment of 1976 moved subjects such as education, forests, protection of wild animals and birds, weights and measures, and administration of justice from the State List to the Concurrent List. More recently, the 101st Amendment of 2016, which introduced the Goods and Services Tax, added Article 246A and made further changes to the lists. Any amendment to the Seventh Schedule requires the special majority in Parliament plus ratification by at least half of the states.

Eighth Schedule: The Recognised Languages

The Eighth Schedule lists the languages recognised by the Constitution, relevant to Articles 344(1) and 351. It originally contained 14 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia (then Oriya), Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Sindhi was added by the 21st Amendment in 1967. Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali followed through the 71st Amendment in 1992, and Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added by the 92nd Amendment in 2003, bringing the total to 22.

What inclusion means

Inclusion in the Eighth Schedule does not make a language an official language of the Union. Under Article 343, the official language of the Union is Hindi in the Devanagari script, with English continuing for official purposes as provided by law. The Schedule serves other purposes: members of an Official Language Commission are drawn from these languages, Article 351 directs the Union to promote Hindi while drawing vocabulary from them, and candidates may take certain recruitment examinations in them. Recognition also carries prestige and can support literature academies and educational resources.

Continuing demands

Many other languages and dialects have sought inclusion over the decades. Because the Schedule is not tied to a clear set of criteria, such demands are periodically debated in Parliament and in committees. This makes the Eighth Schedule one of the most closely watched of all the Schedules, since each addition is seen as a mark of linguistic recognition.

Ninth Schedule: Laws Protected from Judicial Review

The Ninth Schedule was added by the First Amendment in 1951, along with Article 31B. After independence, state laws abolishing zamindari and redistributing land were challenged in courts for violating the right to property, then a Fundamental Right. To shield these reforms, Parliament created a Schedule to hold such laws, and Article 31B stated that laws placed in it would not be void for violating Fundamental Rights. It began with a small list of land-reform statutes, and later amendments extended it substantially to well over two hundred and fifty laws on varied subjects.

The Coelho case

The question of how far this immunity extends reached the Supreme Court repeatedly. After the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) established the basic structure doctrine, it became clear that Parliament could not destroy the Constitution’s essential features. In I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (2007), a nine-judge Bench ruled that laws added to the Ninth Schedule after 24 April 1973, the date of the Kesavananda judgment, are open to judicial review if they violate Fundamental Rights that form part of the basic structure. Earlier additions stay protected.

Why it matters

The Ninth Schedule illustrates the continuing tension between Parliament’s power to amend and the courts’ role as guardians of the Constitution. It also shows how a technical device can become a major constitutional debate. The right to property itself ceased to be a Fundamental Right through the 44th Amendment in 1978 and is now a constitutional right under Article 300A.

Tenth Schedule: The Anti-Defection Law

The Tenth Schedule was inserted by the 52nd Amendment in 1985, in response to the “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” phenomenon of the 1960s, when legislators switched parties repeatedly, sometimes within hours, and brought down governments. It is linked to Articles 102(2) and 191(2) and governs the disqualification of members of Parliament and state legislatures on grounds of defection.

Grounds for disqualification

• A member voluntarily gives up membership of the party on whose ticket they were elected.
• A member votes or abstains from voting in the House contrary to the party’s direction (whip) without prior permission, and is not condoned within fifteen days.
• An independent member joins a political party after election.
• A nominated member joins a political party after six months of taking a seat.

Exceptions and decision-making

The law protects mergers: if at least two-thirds of a legislature party agrees to merge with another party, those members are not disqualified. The original exception for a “split” involving one-third of members was removed by the 91st Amendment in 2003, which also limited the size of the council of ministers to fifteen per cent of the House. The Speaker or Chairman decides disqualification questions. In Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu (1992), the Supreme Court upheld the Schedule’s validity and held that such decisions are subject to judicial review.

Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules: Local Self-Government

These two Schedules came out of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts of 1992, which took effect in 1993. They gave constitutional status to rural and urban local bodies, ensuring regular elections, reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women, and State Finance Commissions.

Eleventh Schedule: 29 subjects for panchayats

Added by the 73rd Amendment, which inserted Part IX (Articles 243 to 243O), the Eleventh Schedule lists 29 subjects that states may entrust to panchayats under Article 243G. These include agriculture, land improvement, minor irrigation, animal husbandry, fisheries, social forestry, small-scale industries, rural housing, drinking water, roads, rural electrification, education, health and sanitation, the public distribution system, markets and fairs, libraries, cultural activities and women and child development.

Twelfth Schedule: 18 subjects for municipalities

Added by the 74th Amendment through Part IXA (Articles 243P to 243ZG), the Twelfth Schedule lists 18 functions for municipalities under Article 243W. They include urban planning, regulation of land use, roads and bridges, water supply, public health, sanitation and solid waste management, fire services, urban forestry, slum improvement, burial grounds, cattle pounds and the regulation of slaughterhouses. Both lists are enabling: the state legislature decides how many of these functions to actually devolve.

How the Schedules Are Amended and Why They Matter

Not every Schedule is amended in the same way. Some can be changed by simple majority, while others need the full Article 368 procedure.

• The First and Fourth Schedules change through laws made under Articles 3, 4 and related provisions, by ordinary majority.
• The Fifth and Sixth Schedules can be amended by Parliament by simple majority, and this is not treated as an Article 368 amendment.
• The Seventh Schedule requires a special majority plus ratification by half of the states, because it touches federal balance.
• The others, including the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth, are amended through the standard Article 368 route.

Their role in the constitutional scheme

Taken together, the Schedules show how the Constitution works at ground level. They define the map of the Union, the pay and oaths that anchor high offices, the division of powers that sustains federalism, special arrangements for tribal communities, linguistic recognition, discipline in legislatures, and self-government in villages and cities. They also reflect the Constitution’s character as a living document: new needs, from decentralisation to anti-defection, found a home in new Schedules without disturbing the original Articles.

Conclusion

The Schedules of the Constitution may sit at the back of the document, but they are anything but minor. From the lists that organise Indian federalism to the safeguards for tribal areas and the framework for local bodies, each Schedule translates a broad constitutional principle into a working rule. Understanding the twelve Schedules gives students, citizens and readers a clearer picture of how India’s Constitution actually operates, and why it has been able to adapt over more than seven decades.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Schedules are there in the Indian Constitution?

There are 12 Schedules at present. The Constitution had 8 when it came into force in 1950, and four more were added through amendments: the Ninth in 1951, the Tenth in 1985, and the Eleventh and Twelfth in 1992.

Which Schedule contains the Union, State and Concurrent Lists?

The Seventh Schedule contains these three lists. Under Article 246, it divides legislative powers between Parliament and the state legislatures, and subjects not listed anywhere fall to Parliament as residuary powers.

How many languages are in the Eighth Schedule?

The Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages. It began with 14, and Sindhi, Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added later. Inclusion does not by itself make a language an official language of the Union.

What is the Ninth Schedule and can courts review it?

The Ninth Schedule, added by the First Amendment in 1951, holds laws that were meant to be shielded from challenge, mostly land-reform laws. In I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (2007), the Supreme Court held that laws added after 24 April 1973 can be reviewed if they violate the basic structure or Fundamental Rights.

What does the Tenth Schedule do?

The Tenth Schedule contains the anti-defection law, inserted by the 52nd Amendment in 1985. It sets out grounds on which a legislator can be disqualified for defecting from their party, with an exception for mergers backed by at least two-thirds of the legislature party.

What is the difference between the Fifth and Sixth Schedules?

The Fifth Schedule covers Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in most states and works mainly through the Governor and a Tribes Advisory Council. The Sixth Schedule applies to tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram and creates autonomous district councils with lawmaking, judicial and revenue powers.

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