Constitutional Amendment Mechanics

Statement 3 is correct. Under Article 368, a Special Majority requires both a majority of the total membership and a 2/3rd majority of those present and voting. Statement 1 is incorrect because there is no provision for a joint sitting for Amendment Bills. Statement 2 is incorrect because federal amendments require ratification by only at least HALF the states, not all of them.

Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A. The Seventh Schedule distributes legislative powers between the Union and States. Therefore, under the proviso to Article 368(2), Parliament cannot act alone; the amendment must secure a special majority centrally and subsequent ratification by at least half the state legislatures.

Option 2 is the correct outcome. The bill dies in Parliament because Article 368 does not permit joint sittings for constitutional amendments; both houses must pass it independently. Furthermore, changes to the Presidential election process affect federalism, meaning it must be ratified by at least HALF (50%) of the states, which it failed to achieve.

Only one statement is correct (the second statement). Federal amendments require ratification by at least half the states. The first statement is a distractor; Parliament must pass it with a SPECIAL majority, not a simple one. The third statement is also a distractor; states ratify the bill using a SIMPLE majority, not a special one.