The Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013
- The Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013 was introduced in the
Rajya Sabha on December 18, 2013 by Mr. Salman Khurshid, Minister of
External Affairs. It was referred to the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Law and Justice on December 31, 2013.
- The Bill amends the First Schedule of the Constitution to give
effect to an agreement entered into by India and Bangladesh on the
acquiring and transfer of territories between the two countries on May
16, 1974. The First Schedule of the Constitution defines the area of
each state and union territory which together constitute India.
- The India-Bangladesh Agreement was signed in 1974, but was not
ratified as it involved transfer of territory which required a
Constitutional Amendment. Hence, the Bill has been introduced.
- Definition of ‘India-Bangladesh Agreement’: The
Bill refers to demarcated land boundaries in accordance with the
India-Bangladesh agreement signed on May 16, 1974. This agreement
underwent further modification through letters exchanged thereafter and a
protocol on September 6, 2011.
- Exchange of territories: The territories involved
are in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura. Many of
these are enclaves (i.e., territory belonging to one country that is
entirely surrounded by the other country), and there are even
enclaves-within-enclaves.
- Amendment to the First Schedule of the Constitution:
The Bill amends paragraphs relating to the territories of Assam, West
Bengal, Meghalaya, and Tripura in the First Schedule of the
Constitution.
