Simone Lawson
The Constitution of India, the country's supreme legal document, was completed on 26 November 1949, and came into effect on 26 January 1950. The date is celebrated annually in India as Republic Day. The Constitution, which is the world's longest written national constitution, was signed by members of the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950. It was drafted by a committee formed on 29 August 1947, with Dr B. R. Ambedkar as its chairman.
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What You'll Learn
The Constituent Assembly adopted the constitution on 26 November 1949
The Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India on 26 November 1949. This date is also known as Constitution or National Law Day. The Assembly's adoption of the Constitution was the culmination of a process that began in 1934 when M.N. Roy, a Communist party leader, first demanded a Constituent Assembly. The British government accepted this demand in 1940, allowing Indians to draft their Constitution.
The Constituent Assembly for undivided India met for the first time on 9 December 1946. Elections to the Assembly were held in 1946, with the Congress party winning 208 out of 296 seats and the Muslim League winning 73. However, relations between the two parties deteriorated, and the Muslim League demanded a separate assembly for Muslims.
A Drafting Committee, chaired by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, was formed on 29 August 1947 to prepare a Draft Constitution. This committee completed its work on 26 November 1949, and the members of the Constituent Assembly signed two copies of the Constitution, one in Hindi and one in English, on 24 January 1950. The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, replacing the Indian Independence Act 1947 and the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document.
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of the country and is the longest written national constitution in the world. 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 declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty.
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It came into force on 26 January 1950
The Indian Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, marking the country's transition from being a dominion of the British Crown to a sovereign, democratic republic. This day is celebrated annually in India as Republic Day.
The Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949, and it was signed by its members on 24 January 1950. The Constitution replaced the Indian Independence Act of 1947 and the Government of India Act of 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document.
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of the country and is the world's longest written national constitution. It lays down the framework for 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 Prime Minister, as the head of the Council of Ministers, aids and advises the President in the performance of their constitutional duties.
The Constitution has been amended numerous times since its enactment to address the dynamic needs of the nation. It initially contained eight schedules, which have now expanded to twelve through subsequent amendments. These schedules play a crucial role in simplifying legal complexity, providing clarity and reference, and facilitating targeted amendments to specific sections of the Constitution.
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The constitution is the country's supreme law
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document and the country's highest law. It is the world's longest written constitution for a sovereign nation. The Constituent Assembly adopted it on November 26, 1949, and it came into effect on January 26, 1950, when India became a republic. The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty. It establishes the framework for fundamental political principles and sets out the procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions.
The constitution establishes a parliamentary form of government with a federal structure and certain unitary features. It provides for a three-tier governmental structure, including central, state, and local divisions of power. The constitution also grants all citizens fundamental rights and empowers the independent judiciary to invalidate any legislation or government actions that violate it. The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial authority, followed by the High Courts in each state or group of states. The constitution also allows states to set up lower courts under the control of the state's High Court.
The constitution is considered federal in nature and unitary in spirit. It possesses features of both a federation and a unitary state. For example, it provides for a single integrated system of courts to administer Union and State laws, with the Supreme Court at the apex of the judicial system. The constitution also includes a flexible constitution, a strong central government, and emergency provisions.
The constitution grants legislative power to Parliament and the Legislatures of States and Union Territories, enabling them to enact statutes. It also includes treaty-making as part of the executive power given to the President. However, international agreements require domestic laws to be passed and incorporated into Indian law before they take effect. The constitution has had more than 100 amendments since its enactment, and it continues to be the supreme law of the land, providing the framework for India's governance.
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It is the world's longest written constitution
The Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950, replacing the Indian Independence Act 1947 and the Government of India Act 1935. It is the supreme legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world, with 145,000 words. In comparison, the US Constitution has only 4,400 words.
The Indian Constitution has 470 articles, which are grouped into 25 parts, 12 schedules, and five appendices. It has been amended over 100 times since its enactment, with the latest amendment added on 28 September 2023. The Constitution's length is due to its specificity in spelling out government powers and addressing issues that would be dealt with by statute in other democracies.
The Constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty. It establishes a parliamentary system of government with a federal structure and certain unitary features. The constitutional head of the Executive of the Union is the President, who exercises their functions with the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister.
The Constitution also sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens. It includes borrowed ideas, such as the parliamentary form of government and the idea of single citizenship from Britain, and the concept of fundamental rights and the government's federal structure from the US.
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It has had over 100 amendments since 1950
The Indian Constitution, which came into effect on 26 January 1950, is the supreme legal document of India and the world's longest written national constitution. It is a permanent instrument that ensures the working of the government system. The constitution is considered federal in nature and unitary in spirit, and it has had over 100 amendments since 1950.
The constitution is federal in nature and unitary in spirit. It has features of a federation, including a codified, supreme constitution; a three-tier governmental structure (central, state, and local); division of powers; bicameralism; and an independent judiciary. It also possesses unitary features such as a single constitution, single citizenship, an integrated judiciary, a flexible constitution, a strong central government, appointment of state governors by the central government, All India Services (IAS, IFS, and IPS), and emergency provisions.
The Indian Constitution does not contain a provision to limit the powers of the parliament to amend the constitution. As a result, it is the most amended national constitution in the world, with over 100 amendments since 1950. As of February 2025, there have been 106 amendments. The constitution is amended roughly twice a year.
There are three types of amendments to the Constitution of India. The first type of amendment must be passed by a simple majority in each house of the Parliament of India. The second type of amendment must be passed by a prescribed "special majority" of each house of Parliament. The third type of amendment must be passed by a "special majority" in each house of Parliament and ratified by at least one-half of the State Legislatures.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution of India was completed on 26 November 1949.
The Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950.
The original Constitution of India took nearly five years to produce.
