| The Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1959 | |
|---|---|
| Parliament of India | |
| |
| Citation | 8th Amendment |
| Territorial extent | India |
| Passed by | Lok Sabha |
| Passed | 1 December 1959 |
| Passed by | Rajya Sabha |
| Passed | 7 December 1959 |
| Assented to | 5 January 1960 |
| Signed by | Rajendra Prasad |
| Commenced | 5 January 1960 |
| Date of expiry | 26 January 1970 |
| Legislative history | |
| First chamber: Lok Sabha | |
| Bill title | The Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Bill, 1959 |
| Introduced by | Govind Ballabh Pant |
| Introduced | 16 November 1959 |
| Related legislation | |
| 23rd, 45th, 62nd, 79th and 95th Amendments | |
| Summary | |
| Extended the period of reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies till 1970 | |
| Status: Spent | |
The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of India, officially known as The Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1959, amended article 334 of the Constitution in order to extend the period of reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and representation of the Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies for ten years, i.e. up to 26 January 1970. Article 334 had stipulated that the reservation of seats should expire within a period of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution (i.e. 26 January 1960).
The 8th Amendment extended the period for reservations to 1970. The period of reservation was extended to 1980, 1990,[1] 2000, 2010, 2020 and 2030 by the 23rd, 45th, 62nd, 79th, 95th and 104th Amendments respectively.