Omar Bennett
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India and the longest written national constitution in the world. It came into force on 26 January 1950 and contains 395 articles in 22 parts, with 12 schedules. The constitution was drawn from a number of sources, including previous legislation such as the Government of India Acts 1858, 1919 and 1935, and the Indian Independence Act 1947. It was drafted by the 389-member Constituent Assembly, which took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period. The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date Adopted | 26 November 1949 |
| Date Effective | 26 January 1950 |
| Length | 145,000 words |
| Number of Articles | 395 |
| Number of Parts | 22 |
| Number of Schedules | 12 |
| Number of Amendments | 103 |
| Number of Times Amendment Bills Introduced in Parliament | 126 |
| Replaced Legislation | Government of India Act 1935, Indian Independence Act 1947 |
| Repealed Legislation | Acts of the British Parliament |
| Rights Guaranteed | Justice, equality, liberty, fraternity, freedom of speech and expression, assembly, association, movement, residence, profession, and more |
| Other Characteristics | Constitutional supremacy, sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- The Constitution of India is the world's longest written national constitution
- It contains 395 articles in 22 parts
- It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949
- It became effective on 26 January 1950, replacing British colonial legislation
- The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic
The Constitution of India is the world's longest written national constitution
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India and the longest written national constitution in the world. It contains 395 articles in 22 parts and 12 schedules, with about 145,000 words. The constitution was drawn from a number of sources, including previous legislation such as the Government of India Acts of 1858, 1892, 1919, and 1935, as well as the Indian Independence Act of 1947. The constitution was drafted by the 389-member Constituent Assembly, which was elected by the members of the provincial assemblies. The assembly sat for eleven sessions over a period of 165 days (some sources state 167 days) to frame the constitution, which was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950. The original 1950 constitution is preserved in a nitrogen-filled case at the Parliament Library Building in New Delhi.
The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty, and promoting fraternity. It lays down the framework for the fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out the fundamental rights, directive principles, and duties of citizens. The constitution also includes important articles such as the Right to Information Act, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, and the Right to Equality, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
The Constitution of India replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document, marking India's transition from a dominion of the British Crown to a sovereign, democratic republic. The constitution repealed prior acts of the British Parliament, including the Indian Independence Act of 1947, to ensure constitutional autochthony. This meant that India's constitution would be created by a constituent assembly rather than Parliament, reflecting constitutional supremacy rather than parliamentary supremacy.
Since its adoption, The Constitution of India has been amended 103 times, with a total of 126 Amendment Bills introduced in parliament as of 2020. The constitution continues to evolve, with landmark judgments and constitutional crises shaping its interpretation and application. The Supreme Court of India has also played a significant role in upholding the integrity of the constitution, such as in the case of Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, where the court held that certain features of the Indian constitution are integral and cannot be amended.
The Long Road to India's Constitution
You may want to see also
It contains 395 articles in 22 parts
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India and the longest written national constitution in the world. It contains 395 articles in 22 parts and 12 schedules. The document lays down the framework that demarcates the fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions. It also sets out the fundamental rights, directive principles, and duties of citizens.
The constitution was drawn from a number of sources, including previous legislation such as the Government of India Acts of 1858, 1919, and 1935, the Indian Councils Acts of 1861, 1892, and 1909, and the Indian Independence Act of 1947. The Constituent Assembly, which had 389 members (reduced to 299 after the partition of India), took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period.
Sir B. N. Rau, a civil servant and the first Indian judge at the International Court of Justice, was appointed as the assembly's constitutional advisor in 1946. Rau's initial draft, prepared in February 1948, consisted of 243 articles and 13 schedules. After discussions, debates, and amendments, this became 395 articles and 8 schedules. A seven-member drafting committee, appointed on 29 August 1947 with B. R. Ambedkar as chair, debated and amended Rau's draft. A revised draft constitution was then submitted to the assembly on 4 November 1947.
The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950, replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document. The Dominion of India became the Republic of India, and India ceased to be a dominion of the British Crown. The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty, and endeavouring to promote fraternity.
The Indian Constitution: A Multi-Party Democracy Explained
You may want to see also
It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949
The Constitution of India is the country's supreme legal document. It is the longest written national constitution in the world, with 395 articles in 22 parts and 12 schedules. It lays out the fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, as well as the fundamental rights and duties of citizens.
The Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949, and it came into effect on 26 January 1950. This replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document. The Dominion of India became the Republic of India, and British parliamentary sovereignty was repealed.
The process of drafting the Constitution took almost three years, with eleven sessions held over 165 days (or 167, according to another source). The 389-member assembly (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) was elected by the members of the provincial assemblies. The assembly's constitutional advisor, Sir B. N. Rau, prepared an initial draft in February 1948, which consisted of 243 articles and 13 schedules. This draft was then considered, debated, and amended by a seven-member drafting committee, appointed in August 1947 with B. R. Ambedkar as chair. A revised draft was submitted to the assembly on 4 November 1947.
The Constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty, and promoting fraternity.
The Dynamic Indian Constitution: Rigidity and Flexibility
You may want to see also
Explore related products
It became effective on 26 January 1950, replacing British colonial legislation
The Indian Constitution is the supreme legal document of India and the world's longest written national constitution for a sovereign nation. It contains 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules, with 12 schedules and five appendices in its amended form. The Indian Constitution is also the world's second-longest active constitution, with approximately 145,000 words. It has been amended 106 times, with the latest amendment receiving assent on 28 September 2023.
The Indian Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949 and became effective on 26 January 1950. This date marked the end of British colonial rule in India, as the country transitioned from being a dominion of the United Kingdom to a sovereign, democratic republic. The Constitution replaced the Government of India Act 1935 and the Indian Independence Act 1947 as the country's fundamental governing document. The Dominion of India became the Republic of India, and India ceased to be a dominion of the British Crown.
The Constituent Assembly, consisting of 389 members (reduced to 299 after the partition of India), took almost three years to draft the Constitution. They held eleven sessions over a 165-day period. The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty, and promoting fraternity. The original 1950 constitution is preserved in a nitrogen-filled case at the Parliament Library Building in New Delhi.
The process of drafting the Indian Constitution began in 1946, when Sir B. N. Rau was appointed as the assembly's constitutional advisor. Rau's initial draft, prepared in February 1948, consisted of 243 articles and 13 schedules. After discussions, debates, and amendments, the draft expanded to 395 articles and 8 schedules. On 29 August 1947, a seven-member drafting committee, chaired by B. R. Ambedkar, was appointed to review Rau's draft. The committee submitted a revised draft to the assembly on 4 November 1947, and the Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949, becoming effective on 26 January 1950.
The Dynamic Nature of India's Constitution
You may want to see also
The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India and is the longest written national constitution in the world. It contains 395 articles in 22 parts, with additional articles and parts inserted later through various amendments. The constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949 and became effective on 26 January 1950, replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document.
The constitution declares India a "sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic". This means that India is a free country with the complete right to govern itself without interference from any external source. The term "sovereign" signifies India's departure from being a dominion in the British Commonwealth, as set up by the Indian Independence Act of 1947, to becoming a free nation when the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950.
The term "socialist" is not defined in the Constitution, but the Directive Principles of State Policy in Part IV have a socialist character. These principles embody the philosophy that the welfare of the larger society shall precede individual interests. "Secular" implies that India is not a theocratic state and does not have an official religion. Finally, "democratic republic" indicates that India is a country where the supreme power lies in the body of citizens entitled to vote, and the democratic form of government is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
The constitution assures its citizens justice, equality, and liberty, and endeavours to promote fraternity. It lays down the framework that demarcates the fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens. The original 1950 constitution is preserved in a nitrogen-filled case at the Parliament Library Building in New Delhi.
The Ever-Changing Indian Constitution: A Wordy Affair
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
There are 395 articles in the Indian Constitution.
There are 22 parts in the Indian Constitution.
There are 12 schedules in the Indian Constitution, up from 8 when it was first adopted.
The Indian Constitution is about 145,000 words long, making it the longest national constitution in the world.
