Important Facts about the Indian Constitution

The Indian Constitution is extensive and covers a wide range of topics that every Indian citizen should be familiar with. In reality, every legal student should be well-versed in the Indian Constitution, as it serves as the foundation for their education and profession.

Given the size of the Indian Constitution, it's understandable that you might not be able to go through its entirety, and honestly, that's not even required for the various law entrance exams.

Certain provisions of the constitution, however, must be thoroughly understood by anyone wishing to practise law in India or pursue a profession in law. This article discusses several key characteristics and parts of the Indian Constitution that every legal student should be aware of. 

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Must Know Facts of Indian Constitution

The constitution contains some fascinating information which you might not be aware of and this article is specially designed to fill up your knowledge and stock up your arsenal of skill sets.

(i) The Indian Constitution is the world's longest and most comprehensive constitution.

(ii) The Preamble and Constitution of the United States of America influenced the Preamble and Constitution of India.

(iii) Some of the Indian Constitution's Articles are more important than others. Below is a list of the most important Articles of the Indian Constitution, as well as the facts contained in each one. Every aspiring lawyer must be well-versed with these articles - 

ARTICLE	WHAT DOES IT DEAL WITH
Article 12 - 35	Deals with the fundamental rights of the constitution
Article 36 - 51	Deals with the directive principles of state policy
Article 51A	Deals with the fundamental duties of every citizen of India
Article 80	Deals with the seat matrix of the Rajya Sabha
Article 81	Deals with the seat matrix of the Lok Sabha
Article 343	Provides Hindi as the official language
Article 356	Deals with the imposition of President’s rule in states
Article 370	Deals with the special status of Kashmir
Article 395	Repeals India Independence Act and Government of India Act, 1935
Part 1 - Article 1 to Article 4
Article 1	Name and territory of the union
Article 2	Admission and establishment of the new state
Article 3	Formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries, and the name of existing states
Part 2 - Article 5 to Article 11
Article 5	Citizenship at the commencement of the constitution
Article 6	Rights of citizenship of a certain person who has migrated to India from Pakistan
Article 10	Continuance of rights of citizenship
Article 11	Parliament to regulate the right of citizenship by law
Part 3 - Article 12 to Article 35
Article 12	Definition of the state
Article 13	Laws that are inconsistent with or in derogation of the fundamental rights
Originally, the constitution had provided for 7 basic fundamental rights but now there are only six rights. The Right to Property U/A 31 was deleted from the list of fundamental rights by the 44th Amendment Act 1978. It made a legal right U/A 300-A in Part XII of the constitution.

Read Tips to Remember Articles of Indian Constitution

(iv) The Indian Constitution was not typed or printed in its original form. They were penned by hand and are currently maintained in a helium-filled cabinet in the Parliamentary Library.

(v) The initial copies of the Indian Constitution were authored by Prem Bihari Narain Raizada.

(vi) The fundamental rights recognised by the Indian Constitution were adapted from the American Constitution's fundamental rights.

(vii) The original copy of the Constitution of India was signed by 283 members of the Constituent Assembly.

(viii) The Indian Constitution is one of the best and most prestigious constitutions in the world.

(ix) The concept of the five-year plan was derived from the Soviet Union's or USSR's five-year planning commission (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

(x) In India's courts, around 2.18 crore cases are still pending and there are over 22.2 million persons on trial, more than the whole population of the Netherlands.

(xi) The Indian Constitution was originally written in English and Hindi and was originally 1,17,369 words long in English.

(xii) Artists from Shantiniketan adorned every page of India's Constitution.

(xiii) On December 9, 1946, the Constituent Assembly convened for the first time.It took about three years to write and complete the Indian Constitution.

In the original draft of the Indian Constitution, almost 2,000 revisions were made.

(xiii) On November 26, 1949, the Indian Constitution's final draught was completed and on January 24, 1950, India's Constitution was signed and finally on January 26, 1950, the Indian Constitution became legally binding.

(xiv) The Indian Constitution incorporates various elements from the constitutions of other countries, including Japan, Germany, the Soviet Union, the United States of America, France, and others.

Students interested in pursuing higher education in the field of law should go through the aforementioned articles since it will offer them a comprehensive understanding of the Indian constitution as well as aiding them in their preparation for CLAT and other law entrance exams.