Jonah Patel
The Indian Constitution is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world. It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949 and officially came into effect on 26 January 1950, a date celebrated as Republic Day in India. The constitution declared India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, and it assures its citizens of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity. The constitution has had more than 100 amendments since it was enacted and is the supreme legal document of India.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of adoption | 26 November 1949 |
| Adopting body | Constituent Assembly of India |
| Date of enforcement | 26 January 1950 |
| Length | 145,000 words |
| Number of articles at enactment | 395 |
| Number of parts at enactment | 22 |
| Number of schedules at enactment | 8 |
| Number of amendments | Over 100 |
| Current number of articles | 470 |
| Current number of parts | 25 |
| Current number of schedules | 12 |
| Current number of appendices | 5 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The Indian Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949
The Indian Constitution, the world's longest written national constitution, was adopted on 26 November 1949. It was drafted by the Constituent Assembly of India, which was elected by the elected members of the provincial assemblies. The Constituent Assembly of India met for eleven sessions over 165 days to finalise the constitution. The assembly was chaired by B. R. Ambedkar, who is widely considered to be the chief architect of the constitution.
The constitution's initial draft was prepared by constitutional advisor Sir B. N. Rau in February 1948. This draft consisted of 243 articles and 13 schedules, which were then debated, discussed, and amended by the seven-member drafting committee. The committee, appointed on 29 August 1947, prepared a revised draft constitution, which was submitted to the assembly on 4 November 1947.
The final constitution contained 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules, totalling about 145,000 words. It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950, a date celebrated as Republic Day in India. The constitution declared India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.
The Indian Constitution is a comprehensive document that lays down 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 provides for a parliamentary form of government with a federal structure and certain unitary features. It establishes the President as the constitutional head of the Executive of the Union.
The Making of Indian Constitution: A Class 11 Overview
You may want to see also
The Constituent Assembly signed the Constitution on 24 January 1950
The Indian Constitution is the world's longest written national constitution for a sovereign nation. It is a comprehensive document with a preamble and 448 articles, which are grouped into 25 parts with 12 schedules and five appendices. The constitution has had more than 100 amendments since it was enacted, with the latest amendment being given assent on 28 September 2023.
The Constituent Assembly of India, elected by the members of the provincial assemblies, was responsible for drafting the constitution. The 389-member assembly (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over 165 days. The assembly's constitutional advisor, Sir B. N. Rau, prepared the initial draft in February 1948. This draft consisted of 243 articles and 13 schedules, which were then debated, discussed, and amended by the seven-member drafting committee chaired by B. R. Ambedkar. The committee submitted a revised draft constitution to the assembly on 4 November 1947.
The Constituent Assembly adopted the Indian Constitution on 26 November 1949, and it came into force on 26 January 1950, a date celebrated as Republic Day in India. The constitution declared India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.
US Constitution and Native American Influence
You may want to see also
The Constitution became the law of India on 26 January 1950
The Indian Constitution is the world's longest written national constitution for a sovereign nation. It is the supreme legal document of India, providing the framework for the country's political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, as well as fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens.
The Constitution was drafted by the Constituent Assembly of India, which was elected by the members of the provincial assemblies. The 389-member assembly (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over 165 days. The initial draft was prepared by constitutional advisor Sir B. N. Rau in February 1948. This draft was then considered, debated, and amended by the seven-member drafting committee, chaired by B. R. Ambedkar, who is widely considered the Constitution's chief architect. The revised draft was submitted to the assembly on 4 November 1947.
The Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and became the law of India on 26 January 1950. This date is celebrated as Republic Day in India. The Constitution declared India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Since its enactment, the Indian Constitution has had over 100 amendments. The amended Constitution has a preamble and 470 articles, which are grouped into 25 parts, 12 schedules, and five appendices. The latest amendment was given assent on 28 September 2023.
Cow Slaughter: India's Constitutional Conundrum
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Constitution has 395 Articles, 8 Schedules, and 22 Parts
The Indian Constitution, the world's longest for a sovereign nation, was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950. It is the supreme legal document of India and lays down the framework that demarcates the fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions. It also sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens.
The Constitution of India contains 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules. It has had more than 100 amendments since it was enacted, and the amended constitution has a preamble and 470 articles, which are grouped into 25 parts. The articles are numbered from 1 to 395, with each article falling under one of the 22 parts. The parts are:
- The Union and its Territory
- Admission or Establishment of New States
- Formation of New States and Alteration of Areas, Boundaries, or Names of Existing States
- Laws Made Under Articles 2 and 3 to Provide for the Amendment of the First and the Fourth Schedules and Supplemental, Incidental, and Consequential Matters
- Citizenship at the Commencement of the Constitution
- Rights of citizenship of Certain Persons Who Have Migrated to India from Pakistan
- Rights of Citizenship of Certain Migrants to Pakistan
- Rights of Citizenship of Certain Persons of Indian Origin Residing Outside India
- Persons Voluntarily Acquiring Citizenship of a Foreign State Not to Be Citizens
- Continuance of the Rights of Citizenship
- Parliament to Regulate the Right of Citizenship by Law
- Name and Territory of the Union
- ...and so on, until:
- Short Title, Date of Commencement, Authoritative Text in Hindi, and Repeals
The Constitution's 8 schedules include the First and the Fourth Schedules, which can be amended by laws made under Articles 2 and 3. The Seventh Schedule is also referenced in discussions of the Constitution.
The Indian Constitution was drafted by the 389-member Constituent Assembly, which was elected by the elected members of the provincial assemblies. The process of drafting the Constitution took almost three years, during which the Assembly held eleven sessions over a 165-day period. The initial draft of the Constitution was prepared by B.N. Rau and consisted of 243 articles and 13 schedules, which came to 395 articles and 8 schedules after discussions, debates, and amendments. The drafting committee, appointed on 29 August 1947, was chaired by B.R. Ambedkar, who is widely considered to be the chief architect of the Indian Constitution.
The Father of India's Constitution: Dr. Ambedkar's Role
You may want to see also
The Constitution is the supreme legal document of India
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of the country. It is the world's longest written constitution for a sovereign nation, with 470 articles, 12 schedules and five appendices. The document lays out 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 establishes India as a 'Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic' with a parliamentary form of government. It is the source of legal authority, empowering Parliament and the Legislatures of States and Union Territories to enact statutes. The Constitution grants all citizens Fundamental Rights and empowers the independent judiciary to invalidate legislation or government actions that violate it.
The Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950. The Constituent Assembly was elected by the members of the provincial assemblies. The 389-member assembly (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over 165 days. The initial draft was prepared by constitutional advisor Sir B. N. Rau and consisted of 243 articles and 13 schedules. This draft was considered, debated and amended by the seven-member drafting committee, appointed on 29 August 1947, with B. R. Ambedkar as chair. The final draft had 395 articles and 8 schedules.
The Constitution has had more than 100 amendments since its enactment. Despite the supermajority requirement for amendments, it is the world's most frequently amended national governing document. The Constitution is so specific in spelling out government powers that many amendments address issues that, in other democracies, would be dealt with by statute.
The Constitution of India: Its Introduction Explained
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The Indian Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 by the Constituent Assembly of India.
The Indian Constitution was enacted on 26 November 1949.
The Indian Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, a date celebrated as Republic Day in India.
The Indian Constitution was drafted by the Constituent Assembly of India, which was elected by the elected members of the provincial assemblies.
The Indian Constitution has been amended over 100 times since it was enacted. The latest amendment was given assent on 28 September 2023.
![Enabling Act and State Constitution with Side Notes and Index 1905 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/617DLHXyzlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
