The 52nd Amendment of the Indian Constitution, also known as the Anti-Defection Law, was introduced in 1985 to prevent the problem of political defections by members of the legislature.

The key features of the 52nd Amendment are:

1. Provisions for Disqualification:
   • It provided for the disqualification of members of Parliament and state legislatures if they defected from the political party on whose ticket they were elected.
   • This applied to both those who voluntarily gave up their party membership and those who voted or abstained from voting in the legislature against the directions of their party.
2. Exceptions:
   • The law provided some exceptions, allowing legislators to avoid disqualification if one-third of the members of a legislative party decided to merge with another party.
   • It also allowed individual legislators to join or form a new political party without incurring disqualification, provided that party obtained the support of at least two-thirds of the legislators.
3. Rationale and Objectives:
   • The 52nd Amendment was introduced to address the problem of political defections, which had become a major issue in Indian politics.
   • Defections were often driven by personal ambition, the lure of office, or inducements from rival parties, leading to political instability and undermining the will of the electorate.
   • The law aimed to provide stability to elected governments and prevent the undermining of the principle of free and fair elections.
4. Subsequent Amendments:
   • The 91st Amendment in 2003 further strengthened the anti-defection law by removing the exception that allowed one-third of the members of a legislative party to merge with another party.