Features of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment Act, 1971
- Abolition of Privy Purses: The primary objective of the amendment was to abolish the Privy Purse system for former Indian princes. The amendment took away the right of former rulers to receive an annual payment from the Government of India.
- Omission of articles 291 and 362: Articles 291 and 362 of the Constitution shall be omitted from direct effect from the Constitution of India.
Article 291: It provides the payment of privy purses to former rulers.
- Article 291 of the Indian Constitution dealt with the privy purse payments made to the rulers of princely states.
- Before the integration of princely states with the Indian Union, the rulers of these states received a privy purse payment from the Indian government as part of an agreement.
Article 362: States that the rights and privileges of the rulers shall be protected and protected by the Government of India.
- Article 362 of the Indian Constitution dealt with the rights and privileges of the rulers of Indian states.
Article 362 provided for certain immunities to the rulers of Indian states.- It provides immunity from taxation and laws that might interfere with their rights and privileges. This article also protected the rights of tribal people and their customs and traditions.
However, with the integration of Indian states into the Indian Union after independence, the government of India felt that these immunities were no longer necessary and were inconsistent with the objectives of a unified India. The government decided to abolish the privy purse payments made to the former rulers of Indian states. therefore The 26th Amendment of the Indian Constitution of 1971 removed Articles 291 and 362.
Twenty-Sixth Amendment Act, 1971
The 26th constitutional amendment was passed in 1971. It made many changes to the constitution which also included the abolition of the privy purse system for former Indian princes. This amendment also provides for the appointment of a commission to review the working of the Constitution every five years and submit a report to the President of India.
The concept of rulership and privy purse related to any clause and statement in the Constitution of India seemed to be incompatible with the very idea of an egalitarian society. So to end this clause, the 26th Constitutional Amendment Act was thus introduced so as to terminate this provision of privy purses and rulership and to move forward toward establishing an egalitarian society.