Constitution Basics
Indian Polity · संविधान की मूल बातें
📋Quick Overview
The Indian Constitution is the longest written constitution in the world. The Constituent Assembly was set up in 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan, chaired by Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee — called the 'Father of Indian Constitution'. It was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950. Originally it had 395 Articles, 22 Parts, and 8 Schedules. Today it has 470+ Articles, 25 Parts, and 12 Schedules.
26 November = Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas). 26 January = Republic Day (Constitution came into force).
📖Constituent Assembly — Key Facts
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Set up under | Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946 |
| Total members (original) | 389 |
| After Partition | 299 |
| First meeting | 9 December 1946 |
| Temporary President | Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha |
| Permanent President | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| Constitutional Advisor | B.N. Rau |
| Drafting Committee Chairman | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar |
| Drafting Committee members | 7 members |
| Time taken | 2 years, 11 months, 18 days |
| Total sessions | 11 sessions |
| Objective Resolution moved by | Jawaharlal Nehru (13 Dec 1946) |
📖Borrowed Features from Other Countries
| Country | Features Borrowed |
|---|---|
| UK (Britain) | Parliamentary system, Rule of Law, Cabinet system, Bicameralism, Speaker, Single Citizenship, Writs |
| USA | Fundamental Rights, Judicial Review, Independence of Judiciary, President as Supreme Commander, Impeachment |
| Ireland | DPSP, Method of President's election, Nominated members in Rajya Sabha |
| Canada | Federal system with strong Centre, Residuary powers to Centre, Appointment of Governors |
| Australia | Concurrent List, Joint Sitting of Parliament, Freedom of trade |
| Germany (Weimar) | Suspension of Fundamental Rights during Emergency |
| South Africa | Amendment procedure, Election of Rajya Sabha members |
| Japan | Procedure established by Law |
| USSR (Russia) | Fundamental Duties, Five Year Plans |
| France | Republic, Liberty-Equality-Fraternity in Preamble |
📖Preamble — Key Words
The Preamble is the introduction/soul of the Constitution. It starts with 'WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA'. Key words: Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic + Justice, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. 'Socialist' and 'Secular' were added by the 42nd Amendment (1976). The Preamble is NOT justiciable (cannot be enforced by courts) but it is a part of the Constitution (Kesavananda Bharati case, 1973).
N.A. Palkhivala called the Preamble the 'Identity Card of the Constitution'
📖Key Articles — Must Remember
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| Article 1 | India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States |
| Article 14 | Equality before law |
| Article 17 | Abolition of Untouchability |
| Article 19 | 6 Freedoms (speech, assembly, movement, etc.) |
| Article 21 | Right to Life & Personal Liberty |
| Article 21A | Right to Education (6-14 years) — 86th Amendment |
| Article 32 | Right to Constitutional Remedies — 'Heart & Soul of Constitution' (Ambedkar) |
| Article 44 | Uniform Civil Code (DPSP) |
| Article 51A | Fundamental Duties |
| Article 72 | President's pardoning power |
| Article 123 | President's Ordinance power |
| Article 356 | President's Rule in States |
| Article 370 | Special status to J&K (abrogated 5 Aug 2019) |