68. The Constitution (Sixty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1991—The three year period in the case
of proclamation issued on 17th May 1987 with respect to the State of Punjab was earlier
extended to four years by the Constitution (sixty-seventh Amendment) Act, 1990. This Act
further amends clause (4) of Article 356 so as to further extend the period upto a total period of
five years.
69. The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991—The Government of India
appointed on 24th December 1987 a Committee to go into various issues connected with the
administration of Delhi and to recommend measures, inter alia, for the streamlining of the
administrative set up. After detailed inquiry and examination, it recommended that Delhi should
continue to be a union territory and may be provided with a Legislative Assembly and a Council
of Ministers responsible to such assembly with appropriate powers to deal with matters of
concern to the common man. The Committee also recommended that with a view to ensuring
stability and permanence, arrangements should be incorporated in the constitution to give the
national capital a special status among the union territories. This act has been passed to give
effect to the above recommendations.
70. The Constitution (Seventieth Amendment) Act, 1992—While considering the (Seventy-
fourth Amendment) Bill, 1991 and the Government of National Capital Territory Bill, 1991
views were expressed in both the Houses of Parliament in favour of including also the elected
members of the legislative assemblies of union territories in the electoral college for the election
of the President under Article 54 of the Constitution.
At present Article 54 relating to the election of the President provides for an electoral
college consisting of only the elected Members of Parliament as well as the legislative
assemblies of the states (not of union territories). Similarly, Article 55 providing for the manner
of such election also speaks of legislative assemblies of states.
Accordingly, an Explanation was inserted in Article 54 to provide that reference to ‘State’
in Article 54 and 55 would include the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union
Territory of Puducherry for constituting the electoral college for election of the President. This
would enable the elected members of the Legislative Assembly created for the Union Territory
of Puducherry under the provisions of Article 239A and of the proposed Legislative Assembly of
the National Capital Territory of Delhi under Article 239AA to be included in the electoral
college.
71. The Constitution (Seventy-first Amendment) Act, 1992—There have been demands for
inclusion of certain languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. This Act amends the
Eighth Schedule to the Constitution to include Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali languages in the
Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
72. The Constitution (Seventy-second Amendment) Act, 1992—For restoring peace and
harmony in the areas of the State of Tripura where disturbed conditions prevailed, a
Memorandum of Settlement was signed by the Government of India with Tripura National
Volunteers on 12 August 1988.
In order to implement the said Memorandum, Article 332 of the Constitution has been
amended by the Constitution (Seventy-second Amendment) Act, 1992 for making a temporary
provision for the determination of the number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes in the
State Assembly of Tripura, until the re-adjustment of seats is made on the basis of the first
Census after the year 2000 under Article 170 of the Constitution.