Chapter-1 - Indian Constitution
Chapter-1 - Indian Constitution
Chapter-1 - Indian Constitution
What is a constitution
The constitution of a country tells its citizens what kind of society they
live in and what values their society upholds.
It tells the citizens what type of government they have. It defines the
powers of the government so that the government cannot misuse its
authority.
The constitution defines the rights of the citizens too, so that they cannot
break laws, exploit other citizens or be exploited by others. Many
constitutions have provisions that seek to prevent majority groups from
violating the rights of minorities.
India's Constitution
India has its own constitution. This constitution was prepared by the
Constituent Assembly, a group of about 300 people specially elected for
the purpose.
The Assembly consisted of members of different political parties,
representatives of the minorities and the weaker sections of the
society, and legal experts.
The Assembly first met on 9 December 1946, and completed its work on
26 November 1949.
The constitution framed by the Assembly came into force on 26
January 1950.
Vision and Values of the Indian Constitution
The Preamble
Power of the people- The words "We the people of India do hereby
adopt, enact and give to ourselves this constitution” imply that our
constitution has been prepared and given authority by the
representatives of the people. The constitution is the supreme
document of our country. Since it draws its authority from the people,
the people have the ultimate power.
Sovereign- India is a sovereign nation. This means that it is
independent and has the right to take its own decisions in all matters,
internal and external.
Socialist- India's constitution upholds the ideal of socialism, which seeks
to give everyone equal opportunities to use the country's resources. In
the long run, this will help reduce the gap between the rich and the
poor.
Secular- India is a secular country. This means that all religions are
treated equally in India. There is no state religion. So, no religion is
considered more important than others. (Here, 'state' does not mean the
government. It means a sovereign and organised group of people who
live within a definite territory such as a country and are administered
by one government. So, if we could think of the state as an
organisation, the government would be its management team).
Democratic- The people of India participate in governance through
representatives elected by the adult population of the country.
Elections are held regularly, and the people can change a government
they are not satisfied with it. Hence, India is a democratic country.
Republic- The constitution of India provides for an elected head of state
who is known as the president. The president serves for a fixed term and
his office not hereditary, Thus, India is a republic.
Justice- The framers of our constitution wanted to build a society in
which everyone gets Justice (fair treatment). Our constitution has
provided for the fair and equal treatment of all citizens before the law.
The constitution also seeks to ensure economic and social justice by
reducing inequalities of wealth and social status. To achieve this, the
constitution has provisions for giving extra help and facilities to the
weaker sections of society. For example, to improve the social and
economic status of the former untouchables, listed as Scheduled Castes
(SCs), the exploited tribes, listed as Scheduled Tribes (STs), and the
Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the constitution allows reservations to
be made for these groups in jobs, educational institutions, etc.
Our constitution promotes liberty (freedom), equality and fraternity
(brotherhood) because these are essential for building a just society.
Liberty- The citizens of India have been given the liberty to express their
opinions freely, to follow their own beliefs and to choose their own
professions.
Equality- In India, all citizens are equal before the law. Besides, any
form of discrimination is illegal and punishable by law. Thus, followers
of different religions, the rich and the poor, men and women are all
entitled to equal rights and opportunities.
Fraternity- India is a land of diverse people. Within the country, there
are a large number of groups having different cultures, traditions and
languages. To ensure that they can all live in harmony as one nation, it is
important to develop the sense of brotherhood among them. So, the
constitution promotes fraternity to strengthen the unity and integrity
of the nation. The constitution also aims to remove caste
discrimination, untouchability and all other practices that threaten
the dignity of individuals and give rise to ill feeling among different
sections of the society.
The Preamble reflects the vision and the aims of the founding fathers
of India's constitution. Even though it cannot be enforced by law, it is
an important document because it states the goals before the nation
and thus guides the policy makers.
All laws of the country must uphold the basic values stated in the
Preamble.
A law that is against the spirit of the constitution is vold.
Federal Structure: -
India, including all its states, is governed by one central government
which is called the union government. It deals in the matters of national
importance.
However, every state has its own special needs and it is not possible for
the union government to take care of all these needs. So, we have
government at the state level as well. The state government's job is to
make and give effect to laws that meet the special needs of the state.
A system of the government, in which individual states have control over
their own affairs but they are controlled by a central government in
matters of national importance, is called a federal system.
There is separation of powers between the union government and the
state governments. The constitution contains three lists of subjects-the
Union List, on which the union government makes laws, the State List,
on which the state governments make laws, and the Concurrent List, on
which the union and state governments share the power to make laws.
India has universal adult franchise. Hence, every adult citizen can vote no
matter what his or her race, religion, language, caste, wealth, sex or level
of education may be.
Moreover, every person's vote carries equal weight regardless of his or
her social or economic status.
India's constitution gives all Indian citizens certain rights which are
considered essential for their well-being. These rights are called
Fundamental Rights.
These rights are guaranteed by the constitution and can be enforced by
the courts.
The constitution also mentions certain duties that every citizen is
expected to do for the nation. These duties are called Fundamental
Duties.
All the ideals of the constitution cannot be translated into laws at once.
Knowing this, the framers of our constitution laid down certain guidelines
for future governments, for the gradual translation of ideals into laws.
These guidelines are called Directive Principles of State Policy.
When a government wants to give effect to a Directive Principle, it passes
a law to that effect.
There are various types of Directive Principles- those that promote
economic justice, those that promote welfare and social justice, those that
strengthen the democratic system, those that seek to preserve our natural
and cultural heritage, and those that are related to foreign policy.
Like the Preamble, the Directive Principles cannot be enforced by law.
Though it is the government's duty to follow these principles while
framing policies, the government cannot be sued in a court if it fails to do
so.
Chapter-1: Indian Constitution
Important points-
4. Whether India has its own constitution or not? If yes, who prepared the
5. Whether Indian constitution has any vision and values? If yes, please tell
in detail.
6. What do you know about the Preamble? Write the Preamble and describe
7. What does it mean "We the people of India do hereby adopt, enact and
10. Whether India is a secular country or not? What do you understand about
Secularism?
country or not?
13. What is ‘Justice’ mentioned in the Preamble? What do you know about
(brotherhood)?
17. Whether any law which is against the spirit of the constitution is void or
not?
20. What are three organs of the Government? Please explain in detail.
21. Why balance of power among the three organs of the Government is
required?
in India?
29.According to India's constitution, what are the three kinds of justice that
30.What does the constitution promote in order to strengthen the unity and
34.What is a constitution?
government?
..........................................................................
the ..........................................................
work on .......................................
on ......................................
the ...........................
the ........................
The Preamble states the ..................... that the nation should .................
CONSTITUTION”.
Power of the people- The words "We the people of India do hereby
adopt, enact and give to ourselves this constitution” imply that our
................................................................................................... The
the .....................................
In the long run, this will help reduce the ..................... between
Secular- India is a secular country. This means that all religions are
is considered more important than others. (Here, 'state' does not mean
the ...................... It means a ................... and ....................... group of
its ...............................................).
country. Elections are held .................., and the people can change
a ........................... country.
state who is known as the ...................... The president serves for a fixed
status. To achieve this, the constitution has provisions for giving extra
Equality- In India, all citizens are ...................... before the law. Besides,
followers of different religions, the rich and the poor, men and women are
All laws of the country must uphold the basic ..................... stated in
the .............................
............................ importance.
However, every state has its own special .................... and it is not
possible for the union government to take care of all these needs. So, we
have government at the state level as well. The state government's job is
to make and give effect to .................. that meet the special needs of
the .........................
system.
the .................. List, on which the union government makes laws, the
...................... List, on which the state governments make laws, and the
......................... List, on which the ................. and .....................
The Judiciary, which is responsible for .............. the citizens' rights and
is one of the reasons why the framers of India's constitution chose this
closely ...............
In India, the prime minister and other ministers who hold the real powers
India has universal ........................ Hence, every adult citizen can vote no
India's constitution gives all Indian citizens certain ............. which are
Duties.
All the ideals of the constitution cannot be translated into laws at once.
Knowing this, the framers of our constitution laid down certain guidelines
for future governments, for the gradual translation of ideals into ...............
justice, those that strengthen the .................. system, those that seek to
preserve our ................ and .................. heritage, and those that are related
to ................... policy.
Like the Preamble, the ........................... cannot be enforced by law.
The rules and principles which determine how a country is governed and
which give its citizens certain rights form the ................ of the country.
opportunities.
1. The Preamble states the ideals that the nation must follow.
law.
5. Hunting wild animals violates the Directive Principle for preserving our