High-yield Polity coverage for UPSC Prelims and Mains. Revise the Constitution’s philosophy, rights framework, separation of powers, legislative-executive-judicial relations, federalism, local bodies, and contemporary governance — with crisp summaries, mains points, prelims tips, and MCQs.
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The Indian Constitution stands apart as the most detailed and comprehensive document that incorporates global experiences, adapts to Indian diversity, and provides a framework for democratic governance. It embodies political democracy through Fundamental Rights, socio-economic democracy through DPSPs, and civic responsibility through Fundamental Duties.
| Feature | Key Points |
|---|---|
| Lengthiest Written Constitution | 465 Articles, 25 Parts, 12 Schedules; originally 395 Articles & 8 Schedules |
| Drawn from Various Sources | Borrowed from UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, USSR, France, Australia, etc. |
| Blend of Rigidity & Flexibility | Article 368 provides for simple, special, and federal amendments |
| Federal System with Unitary Bias | Strong Centre, residuary powers, emergency provisions, AIS, Governor appointed by Centre |
| Parliamentary Form of Government | Nominal head (President), real head (PM); collective responsibility; dissolution of Lok Sabha |
| Parliamentary Sovereignty + Judicial Supremacy | Parliament can amend; Supreme Court ensures judicial review (Basic Structure Doctrine) |
| Integrated & Independent Judiciary | Unified judiciary; SC guardian of FRs; independence via tenure & salary protections |
| Fundamental Rights | Part III (Arts 12–35); political democracy; enforceable by writs |
| Directive Principles of State Policy | Part IV (Arts 36–51); socio-economic democracy; non-justiciable but fundamental in governance |
| Fundamental Duties | Part IV-A (Art 51A); 11 duties; added by 42nd & 86th Amendments; moral obligations |
| Secular State | Equal respect for all religions; word ‘Secular’ added in Preamble by 42nd Amendment (1976) |
| Universal Adult Franchise | One person, one vote; voting age reduced to 18 (61st Amendment, 1988) |
| Independent Bodies | ECI, UPSC, CAG, Finance Commission as bulwarks of democracy |
| Emergency Provisions | National (352), State (356, 365), Financial (360); Centre becomes powerful during crises |
| Three-tier Government | 73rd & 74th Amendments (1992); Panchayati Raj & Urban Local Bodies |
| Co-operative Societies | 97th Amendment (2011); Part IX-B; constitutional status; right to form co-ops (Art 19(1)(c)) |
Ambedkar described the Constitution as 'both a lawyer’s paradise and a social reformer’s handbook'.
The Constituent Assembly debated the draft for 114 days across 3 years.
The Preamble was the last part to be finalized.
India conducts the largest democratic elections in the world under this Constitution.
The Constitution of India is a blend of borrowed features from several countries and the Government of India Act, 1935. The framers adapted these features to Indian conditions to ensure federalism, parliamentary democracy, fundamental rights, directive principles, and a strong centre.
| Source | Borrowed Features |
|---|---|
| Government of India Act, 1935 | Federal Scheme, Office of Governor, Judiciary, Public Service Commissions, Emergency Provisions, Administrative details |
| British Constitution | Parliamentary government, Rule of Law, Legislative procedure, Single citizenship, Cabinet system, Prerogative writs, Parliamentary privileges, Bicameralism |
| US Constitution | Fundamental Rights, Independence of Judiciary, Judicial Review, Impeachment of President, Removal of SC & HC Judges, Post of Vice-President |
| Irish Constitution | Directive Principles of State Policy, Nomination of Rajya Sabha Members, Method of Presidential Election |
| Canadian Constitution | Federation with strong Centre, Residuary powers with Centre, Appointment of State Governors by Centre, Advisory jurisdiction of SC |
| Australian Constitution | Concurrent List, Freedom of Trade & Commerce, Joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament |
| Weimar Constitution (Germany) | Suspension of Fundamental Rights during Emergency |
| Soviet Constitution (USSR) | Fundamental Duties, Ideals of Justice – Social, Economic, Political (Preamble) |
| French Constitution | Republic, Ideals of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (Preamble) |
| South African Constitution | Procedure for Constitutional Amendment, Indirect Election of Rajya Sabha Members |
| Japanese Constitution | Concept of ‘Procedure Established by Law’ |
About 250 provisions of the Constitution were borrowed from the Government of India Act, 1935.
The framers reviewed more than 60 constitutions to draft India’s Constitution.
The ideals of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity in the Preamble are directly inspired by the French Revolution.
The Indian Preamble’s word ‘Justice’ reflects the influence of the USSR Constitution.
The Indian Constitution originally contained 8 Schedules. Today, it has 12 Schedules, covering subjects ranging from state boundaries to distribution of powers, official languages, administration of tribal areas, and anti-defection provisions.
| Schedule | Subject Matter |
|---|---|
| First Schedule | Names of States and Union Territories with their territorial jurisdiction |
| Second Schedule | Salaries, emoluments, privileges of dignitaries (President, Governors, Speakers, Judges, CAG, etc.) |
| Third Schedule | Forms of oath and affirmations for Union & State Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Judges, CAG |
| Fourth Schedule | Allocation of seats in Rajya Sabha to States and UTs |
| Fifth Schedule | Administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes |
| Sixth Schedule | Administration of Tribal Areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram |
| Seventh Schedule | Division of powers: Union List (100), State List (61), Concurrent List (52) |
| Eighth Schedule | Official Languages – originally 14, now 22 (added by 71st, 92nd, 96th Amendments) |
| Ninth Schedule | Laws relating to land reforms and others (added by 1st Constitutional Amendment, 1951) |
| Tenth Schedule | Anti-defection law provisions (added by 52nd Constitutional Amendment, 1985) |
| Eleventh Schedule | Powers, authority, and responsibilities of Panchayats (29 subjects, added by 73rd CA, 1992) |
| Twelfth Schedule | Powers and authority of Municipalities (18 subjects, added by 74th CA, 1992) |
The 9th Schedule was added by the 1st Constitutional Amendment in 1951 to protect land reform laws from judicial review.
The 8th Schedule languages grew from 14 to 22 over time; Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali were added by the 92nd Amendment (2003).
Schedules reflect India’s diversity – from languages to tribal administration to federal power-sharing.
The 10th Schedule (Anti-defection) was added after widespread political defections in the 1960s–70s.
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