Topics covered (30)

1. Making of the Constitution: Detailed History — Historical Background The idea of a Constituent Assembly was first proposed by M.N. Roy in 1934. The Assembly was finally constituted in November 1946 under the Cabinet Mission…
2. The Preamble: Philosophy and Key Terms — Introduction The Preamble serves as an introduction to the Constitution. It contains the summary or essence of the Constitution. N.A. Palkhivala called it the "Identity Card of…
3. Union & its Territory and Citizenship — Part I: Union and its Territory (Articles 1-4) - Article 1: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." - Article 2: Parliament can admit new states into the Union. -…
4. Fundamental Rights I: Right to Equality — Introduction to Part III - Articles 12-35. Known as the Magna Carta of India . - Borrowed from the USA (Bill of Rights) . - Justiciable and protected by the Supreme Court (Art…
5. Fundamental Rights II: Right to Freedom — Right to Freedom (Articles 19-22) - Article 19: Guarantees 6 democratic freedoms: 1. Speech and expression (includes Freedom of Press). 2. Assembly (peaceful and without arms). 3.…
6. FR III: Against Exploitation & Freedom of Religion — Right Against Exploitation (Articles 23-24) - Article 23: Prohibition of traffic in human beings and Begar (forced labor). - Article 24: Prohibition of employment of children…
7. FR IV: Cultural Rights & Constitutional Remedies — Cultural and Educational Rights (Articles 29-30) - Article 29: Protection of interests of minorities (includes language, script, or culture). - Article 30: Right of minorities to…
8. Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) — Introduction (Part IV, Articles 36-51) - Borrowed from the Irish Constitution . - Non-justiciable (cannot be enforced in court) but fundamental in the governance of the country. -…
9. Fundamental Duties: Citizens' Responsibilities — Introduction (Part IV-A, Article 51-A) - Not part of the original Constitution. - Added by the 42nd Amendment (1976) on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee . -…
10. The President of India: Power and Functions — Introduction (Articles 52-62) - The President is the First Citizen of India and the nominal executive head ( De jure head). - Election: By an Electoral College consisting of: -…
11. Vice-President and Prime Minister — The Vice-President (Articles 63-71) - Ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha. - Rank is second highest in the country. - Election: By an Electoral College consisting of ALL members…
12. Parliament I: Structure and Houses — Structure (Article 79) Parliament consists of: The President + Council of States (Rajya Sabha) + House of the People (Lok Sabha). Rajya Sabha (Upper House / Council of States) -…
13. Parliament II: Legislative & Budgetary Procedure — Types of Bills 1. Ordinary Bill: Can be introduced in either house. Simple majority. 2. Money Bill (Article 110): - Introduced ONLY in Lok Sabha with President's recommendation. -…
14. The Supreme Court of India — Introduction (Articles 124-147) - India has an Integrated Judiciary (SC at top, then HCs, then Subordinate Courts). - SC was inaugurated on Jan 28, 1950 . Composition and…
15. High Courts and Subordinate Courts — High Courts (Articles 214-231) - At present, there are 25 High Courts in India. - Seventh Amendment (1956) authorized Parliament to establish a common HC for two or more states. -…
16. The Governor & State Executive — The Governor (Articles 153-167) - Nominal head of the state. Appointed by the President . - Acts as an agent of the Central Government. - Tenure: 5 years (at the pleasure of the…
17. Center-State & Inter-State Relations — Legislative Relations (Articles 245-255) - Seventh Schedule: - Union List: 100 subjects (Defense, Banking, Currency). - State List: 61 subjects (Police, Agriculture, Health). -…
18. Local Government: Panchayats & Municipalities — 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 (Panchayati Raj) - Added Part IX and Schedule 11 (29 functional items). - Constitutional status to rural local bodies. - Three-tier System: Gram Panchayat…
19. Emergency Provisions & Amendments — Emergency Provisions (Part XVIII, Articles 352-360) Borrowed from the Government of India Act 1935 (Suspension of FRs from Germany). 1. National Emergency (Art 352): - Grounds:…
20. Major Constitutional Bodies — 1. Election Commission (Article 324) - Conducts elections for President, VP, Parliament, and State Legislatures. - Multi-member body (CEC + 2 ECs). Tenure: 6 years or age of 65.…
21. Non-Constitutional and Statutory Bodies — 1. NITI Aayog - Replaced Planning Commission on Jan 1, 2015. - Executive body (neither constitutional nor statutory). - Aim: Cooperative Federalism . Chaired by the Prime Minister…
22. Electoral Systems and Reforms — Electoral System - India follows the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. - Proportional Representation (PR) is used for President, VP, and…
23. Special Provisions for Some States — Articles 371 to 371-J (Part XXI) To meet the specific developmental and cultural needs of certain regions. - 371: Maharashtra and Gujarat. - 371-A: Nagaland. - 371-B: Assam. -…
24. Landmark Judgments of Supreme Court — 1. AK Gopalan Case (1950) - SC took a narrow view of Art 21, looking only at "Procedure established by law". 2. Golaknath Case (1967) - SC ruled that Parliament CANNOT amend…
25. Exhaustive List of Major Amendments — Major Amendments Table - 1st (1951): Added 9th Schedule to protect land reforms from judicial review. - 7th (1956): Reorganization of states on linguistic basis. Common HC for…
26. Scheduled and Tribal Areas (Schedule 5 & 6) — Fifth Schedule (Article 244) - Deals with the administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than the 4 NE states. - The Governor has special…
27. Parliamentary Committees — Financial Committees 1. Public Accounts Committee (PAC): - 22 members (15 LS + 7 RS). - Examines CAG reports. Term: 1 year. - Chairperson is usually from the Opposition . 2.…
28. Advocate General & Solicitor General — Advocate General of the State (Article 165) - Highest law officer in the State . - Appointed by the Governor . - Qualifications: Same as a judge of a High Court. - Tenure: During…
29. Official Languages (Article 343-351) — Part XVII - Article 343: Official language of the Union is Hindi in Devanagari script . - English was allowed to continue for 15 years (extended by Official Languages Act, 1963).…
30. Miscellaneous: Pressure Groups & Political Terms — Pressure Groups Organized groups that try to influence government policies without seeking to control or share in political power. (e.g., FICCI, AITUC, ABVP, Farmer Unions).…

Making of the Constitution: Detailed History

Historical Background

The idea of a Constituent Assembly was first proposed by M.N. Roy in 1934. The Assembly was finally constituted in November 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan.

Composition and Working

• Total Strength: 389 (reduced to 299 after partition).
• First Meeting: Dec 9, 1946. Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha was the temporary President.
• Permanent President: Dr. Rajendra Prasad (elected Dec 11, 1946).
• Objective Resolution: Moved by Jawaharlal Nehru on Dec 13, 1946. It later became the Preamble.
• Time Taken: 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days.

Important Committees

1. Drafting Committee: Chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (Father of the Indian Constitution).
2. Union Powers Committee: Jawaharlal Nehru.
3. Provincial Constitution Committee: Sardar Patel.
4. Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights: Sardar Patel.

Adoption and Enactment

• Adopted on Nov 26, 1949 (celebrated as Constitution Day).
• Came into full force on Jan 26, 1950 (Republic Day).
• Originally had 395 Articles, 22 Parts, and 8 Schedules.

Key points

• B.N. Rau was the Constitutional Advisor to the Assembly.
• Elephant was the symbol (seal) of the Constituent Assembly.
• Prem Behari Narain Raizada was the calligrapher of the original Constitution.
• The original Constitution was handwritten in a flowing italic style.

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