Correct Option (a):
The Ninth Schedule was incorporated into the Indian Constitution by the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951. Its primary objective was to protect land reform and agrarian laws from judicial scrutiny, specifically against challenges based on the violation of Fundamental Rights (Articles 14, 19, and 31). This measure aimed to facilitate the implementation of socio-economic reforms without impediments from legal challenges. Subsequently, the Supreme Court, in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), ruled that laws placed under the Ninth Schedule after April 24, 1973, are subject to judicial review if they contravene the basic structure of the Constitution.
Incorrect Options:
- Option (b) Eighth Amendment: The Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1960, extended the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and the Anglo-Indian community in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for another ten years. This amendment did not introduce the Ninth Schedule.
- Option (c) Ninth Amendment: The Constitution (Ninth Amendment) Act, 1960, gave effect to the transfer of certain territories to Pakistan in pursuance of the Nehru-Noon Agreement of 1958, particularly concerning the Berubari Union. This amendment is unrelated to the Ninth Schedule.
- Option (d) Forty-Second Amendment: The Constitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act, 1976, introduced significant changes, including adding the words 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' to the Preamble, strengthening the Directive Principles of State Policy, and curtailing the power of judicial review of the High Courts and the Supreme Court. This amendment occurred much later than the introduction of the Ninth Schedule.