Published On : Thu, Nov 26th, 2015

Know your Constitution – the Best in the World

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Do you know these unique aspects of the Indian Constitution?

Facts on the Constitution of India:

Constituent-assembly
News delhi /Nagpur: Indian constitution is known as one of the world’s best constitution especially since it has only seen 94 amendments since it was constituted

The Constitution was adopted on November 26, 1949, while it came into force on January 26, 1950

The Constitution of India was not typeset or printed but was handwritten and calligraphed in both English and Hindi

The original copies of the Constitution of India are kept in special helium-filled cases in the Library of the Parliament of India

Indian Constitution has borrowed from the best in the world.

The concepts of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity were taken from the French constitution

The concept of five year plans was taken from the USSR

The Directive principles were taken from Ireland

The law on which the Supreme Court functions was taken from Japan

It is the longest written constitution of any independent country in the world

The Constitution of India contains 448 articles in 25 parts, 12 schedules, 5 appendices and 98 amendments

The Constituent Assembly had 284 members, out of which 15 were women

The draft was submitted in November 1949. After the submission, it took three more years to complete it

All the 284 members of the Constituent Assembly signed the documents on January 24, 1950

The constitution came into effect on January 26

The Constitution of India is neither purely rigid nor purely flexible. There is a harmonious blend of rigidity and flexibility. Some parts of the Constitution can be amended by the ordinary law-making process by Parliament. Certain provisions can be amended, only when a Bill for that purpose is passed in each house of Parliament by a majority of the total membership of that house and. by a majority of not less than two-third of the members of that house present and voting.

India is a democratic republic. It means that sovereignty rests with the people of India. They govern themselves through their representatives elected on the basis of universal adult franchise. The President of India, the highest official of the state is elected for a fixed term.

Article 1 of the Constitution of India says: – “India, that is Bharat shall be a Union of States.” Though the word ‘Federation’ is not used, the government is federal. A state is federal when (a) there are two sets of governments and there is distribution of powers between the two, (b) there is a written constitution, which is the supreme law of the land and (c) there is an independent judiciary to interpret the constitution and settle disputes between the centre and the states. All these features are present in India