Secular State Concept — Amendments

Amendment	Year	Description	Impact
42nd Amendment Act	1976	Inserted the word 'Secular' into the Preamble of the Constitution of India.	Formally enshrined secularism as an explicit constitutional objective, reinforcing the existing implicit secular character derived from Fundamental Rights. It solidified the state's commitment to religious neutrality and equality, though the Supreme Court later held that secularism was already an implicit basic feature of the Constitution even before this amendment.