What is Article 366 of Indian constitution

www.hinsoli.com July 11, 2025

Article 366 of the Indian Constitution

Title: Definitions

🔷 Explanation of Article 366:

Article 366 is a definition clause of the Indian Constitution.
It provides official meanings of various important terms used across the Constitution to ensure clarity and uniformity in interpretation.

✅ Key Terms Defined Under Article 366:

Clause	Term	Meaning
(1)	Agricultural income	As defined for income-tax purposes under Indian law
(2)	Article	Refers to Articles of the Constitution of India
(3)	Borrowing	Includes any form of borrowing under constitutional authority
(4)	Clause	Subdivision of an Article or Schedule
(10)	Existing law	Any law in force before the commencement of the Constitution
(12)	Indian State	Refers to princely states that existed before independence
(15)	Part	A division in the Constitution
(17)	Proclamation of Emergency	Proclamation under Article 352 (National Emergency)
(18)	Ruler	Person recognized by the President as the ruler of a former princely state
(22)	Scheduled Castes	Castes deemed SC under Article 341
(24)	Scheduled Tribes	Tribes declared ST under Article 342
(25)	Services	Posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or a State
(26)	State	Refers to States mentioned in the First Schedule, including Union Territories with legislatures (like Delhi, Puducherry)
(28)	Union territory	A territory specified in the First Schedule of the Constitution

💡 There are 30+ clauses under Article 366, many of which refer to terms defined elsewhere (like Articles 341–342).

📝 Purpose of Article 366:

Objective	Explanation
Legal clarity	Ensures consistent understanding of key terms
Cross-reference	Many definitions refer to other Articles or Acts
Flexible	Can be updated or expanded via constitutional amendments

🧾 Example Usage:

To determine who qualifies as a Scheduled Tribe → refer to Article 366(24) → then go to Article 342.
For meaning of “State” in context of laws or rights → refer to Article 366(26).

📌 Summary:

Aspect	Details
Type	Interpretative/Definition clause
Function	Provides official meanings of constitutional terms
Used in	All parts of the Constitution
Linked Articles	Articles 341, 342, 352, First Schedule, etc.
Amendable?	✅ Yes, via constitutional amendment

Here is a glossary-style list of definitions under Article 366 of the Indian Constitution – a helpful reference for understanding constitutional terms:

🇮🇳 Glossary from Article 366 – Definitions in the Constitution

Clause	Term	Definition / Explanation
(1)	Agricultural Income	As defined in the Indian Income Tax Act.
(2)	Article	Refers to an article of the Indian Constitution.
(3)	Borrowing	Includes any borrowing made under the authority of the Constitution.
(4)	Clause	Refers to subdivisions within an article or schedule.
(10)	Existing Law	Any law in force before the commencement of the Constitution.
(11)	Federal Court	Refers to the Federal Court of India established before independence.
(12)	Indian State	A princely state which had not merged into the Dominion of India before 1950.
(13)	Part	A division of the Constitution (e.g., Part III – Fundamental Rights).
(14)	Pension	Includes compensation, gratuity, and other retirement benefits.
(15)	Proclamation of Emergency	Means a proclamation under Article 352.
(16)	Public Notification	A notification published in the Official Gazette.
(17)	Ruler	A person recognized by the President as the ruler of a former princely state.
(18)	Scheduled Castes	As defined in Article 341. Castes notified by the President as SCs.
(19)	Scheduled Tribes	As defined in Article 342. Tribes notified by the President as STs.
(20)	Schedule	Refers to one of the Schedules to the Constitution (e.g., 7th Schedule).
(21)	Service	A post in connection with the affairs of the Union or State.
(22)	State	A State specified in the First Schedule, including Union Territories with legislatures (e.g., Delhi).
(23)	Union Territory	A Union territory mentioned in the First Schedule.

📝 Notes:

Many definitions are linked to other constitutional articles, like Articles 341 (Scheduled Castes) and 342 (Scheduled Tribes).
Article 366 is mostly used for interpretative clarity and ensures consistent terminology.