The Constitution of India or
the Constitution of the Republic of India came in effect on January
26, 1950 and is the longest written constitution of any independent
nation in the world. It contains 395 articles and 12 schedules. It
has a total of 117,369 words in its English language version.
History of the Constitution of India
At the end of World War II in Europe on May 9, 1945, a new
government came to power in the United Kingdom. This government
announced to convene a constituent drafting body in India. A team of
ministers, called the Cabinet Mission, were sent to India to find
solution to the question of India's independence.
The Cabinet Mission discussed the framework and the procedure to be
followed the drafting body. With India's independence, the
Constituent Assembly became a fully sovereign body and they began
the working from 9 December 1947.
The Assembly had members belonging to different communities,
regions and even from different political persuasions of India. Dr.
Rajendra Prasad was the elected president and B.R. Ambedkar, the
chairman of the Drafting Committee.
Over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days, before submitting
the final copy of the Constitution, the Constituent Assembly met for
166 days and the sessions were always open to the press and the
public.
Features of the Constitution of India
It has been extensively drawn from Western legal traditions in
enunciation of the principles of liberal democracy. The principles
of the Constitution reflects aspirants to end the inequities of
traditional social relations and to enhance the social welfare of
the population. Since the enactment, the constitution has always
fostered for a steady concentration of power to the central
government, especially to Prime Minister Office (PMO).
Borrowed Features of Indian Constitution from other
Constitutions
British Constitution
- Parliamentary form of government
- The idea of single citizenship
- The idea of the Rule of law
- Institution of Speaker and his role
- Lawmaking procedure
United States Constitution
- Charter of Fundamental Rights, which is similar to the United
States Bill of Rights
- Federal structure of government
- Power of Judicial Review and independence of the judiciary
Irish Constitution
- Constitutional enunciation of the directive principles of
state policy
French Constitution
- Ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity
Canadian Constitution
- A quasi-federal form of government (a federal system with a
strong central government)
- The idea of Residual Powers
Australian Constitution
- The idea of the Concurrent list
- Freedom of trade and commerce within the country and between
the states
Soviet Constitution
- The Planning Commission and Five-Year Plans
- Fundamental Duties
