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Indian Constitution: All 12 Schedules, Reasons for Inclusion and Criticism

Updated on November 5, 2026Author:NEXT IAS Contributors

Currently, there are 12 Schedules in the Indian Constitution. They provide an overview of administration, governance, languages and power distribution. There were originally 8 Schedules included in the Constitution, which was adopted on 26 November 1949. 4 new Schedules were added to it by way of amendments to the Constitution. The 7th Schedule classifies the legislative powers among Union and State Governments and the 8th Schedule recognises 22 languages.

Defection from a party by the Legislators is provided in the 10th Schedule, whereas the 11th and 12fth Schedules deal with Panchayats and Municipalities respectively. Another significant amendment to the Constitution is the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, regarding reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, which became applicable on 16 April 2026.

List of Schedules in the Indian Constitution

S.n.	Schedules	Description	Articles related to
1	First Schedule	Name of the states and their territorial jurisdiction Name of the Union Territories and their extent	1 & 4
2	Second Schedule	It has provisions related to the emoluments, allowance, privileges and so on of: President of India The Governors of States The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in the States The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council in the States The Judges of the Supreme Court The Judges of the High Court The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India	59, 65, 75, 97, 125,148,158,164, 186 & 221.
3	Third Schedule	Forms of Oaths or Affirmations for for key public officials : Union Ministers Candidates for election to the president Members of Parliament Judges of the Supreme Court Comptroller and Auditor-General of India State ministers The candidates for election to the state legislature The judges of the High Courts	75, 84, 99, 124, 146, 173, 188 & 219
4	Fourth Schedule	It has provisions for allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states and the union territories	4 and 80
5	Fifth Schedule	It provides special provisions for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in states (excluding Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram) to protect tribal culture, land, and promote welfare. It allows Governors to make regulations for peace/good governance, establishing Tribes Advisory Councils, and enabling Parliament/State Legislatures to adapt laws for these regions, ensuring tribal self-governance & development.	244
6	Sixth Schedule	It provides special autonomy to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, and establishes Autonomous Districts and Regions for self-governance. The sixth schedule empowers Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) with legislative, executive and financial powers over land, forests, education, customs and mineral rights to prevent exploitation and preserve their indigenous identities.	244 and 275
7	Seventh Schedule	It has provision for division of powers between the Union and State governments in terms of: List-I (Union List) 100 subjects (Originally 97) : it includes subjects like Defence, Banking, Railways, Atomic Energy and Foreign Affairs for them only the Centre can make laws. List-II (State List) 61 subjects (Originally 66) : included the subjects like Public Order, Police, Agriculture, Health, and Local Government; for them only the States can legislate (though exceptions exist, e.g., Delhi). List-III (Concurrent List) 52 (Originally 47) : Subjects like Education, Forests, Marriage, Criminal Law and Weights & Measures; on these subjects, both Union and States can make laws. In case of conflict the law made by the central government will prevail.	246
8	Eighth Schedule	It recognized official languages of the Constitution. Originally these were 14, but at present 22 languages are there in the schedule.- Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri (Dongri), Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Mathili (Maithili), Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. Official Recognition: Grants languages status for official communication, parliamentary translation and UPSC exams, promoting unity and cultural heritage. Amendments: recognized languages grew from 14 to 22 languages through amendments:- 21st Amendment (1967): Added Sindhi. 71st Amendment (1992): Added Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali. 92nd Amendment (2003): Added Bodo, Dogri Maithili and Santhali.	344 and 351
9	Ninth Schedule	It was added by the First Constitutional Amendment act in 1951. It deals with the Acts and Regulation of the State legislature related to land reforms and the abolition of the zamindari system and the parliament dealing with other matters.	31-B
10	Tenth Schedule	It was added by the 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, in 1985. It has provisions related to disqualification of the members of parliament and state legislatures on the ground of defection. Also known as Anti-defection law. It outlines grounds for disqualification, like voluntarily quitting a party or voting against its whip, and aims to curb unethical defections. The Speaker or Chairperson of the respective House (Parliament/Assembly) decides on disqualification petitions.	102 and 191
11	Eleventh Schedule	It was added by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, in 1992. It specifies the powers, authority and responsibilities of the Panchayat System (Rural Local Bodies). It has 29 subjects such as Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries etc.	243-G
12	Twelfth Schedule	It was added by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, in 1992. It Specifies the powers, authority, and responsibilities of Municipalities (Urban Local Bodies). It has 18 subjects such as urban planning, water supply, public health and slum improvement etc.	243-W

Reason Behind the Inclusion of Schedules

The Schedules enshrined in the Constitution of India serve as the detailed lists that support and explain the constitutional provisions.
They provide classification, clarity, and reference for various subjects mentioned in the Articles of the Indian Constitution.
Each Schedule of the constitution specifies the important details like the division of powers, recognition of states and territories, allocation of seats, administration of tribal areas and forms of oaths etc.
By inclusion of these Schedules, the Constitution avoids overcrowding the main Articles with lengthy details while making legal interpretation and governance more easier.

Criticism of Schedules in Indian Constitution

Overlaps among three lists in the seventh schedule create confusion in fields like education, environment and agriculture etc.
The ninth schedule was criticized as a "constitutional escape route", for violating basic structure, although later was struck down.
Provisions related to tribal areas and governance sometimes lack clarity and lack modern effect in line with PESA and FRA etc.
Some schedules contain administrative minutiae for example forms of oaths etc. arguably do not require constitutional status, further they make the Constitution bulky.
The provisions made under the 73rd & 74th Amendments for panchayats and Municipalities are recommendatory in nature and, not mandatory. Which sometimes leads to weak local governance and also overlapping the jurisdictions with states.
Schedules like 7th, 9th parts of 10th are criticized for containing obsolete or less relevant provision.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution?

The tenth schedule of the Indian constitution was added by the 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act in 1985, made provisions related to disqualification of the members of parliament and state legislatures on the ground of defection.

What is the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act?

The 74rd Constitutional Amendment Act, passed in 1992, specifies the powers, authority, and responsibilities of Municipalities (Urban Local Bodies).

Which schedule makes the provision for the division of powers?

The seventh schedule has provision for division of powers between the Union and State governments in terms of three lists i.e. union list, state list and concurrent list.

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