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UPMSP Intermediate Civics study materials
UPMSP Intermediate Civics study resources

UPMSP Intermediate Civics: Making, Features and Philosophy of the Indian Constitution

UPMSP Intermediate Civics · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Making, Features and Philosophy of the Indian Constitution

UPMSP Intermediate Civics tests this domain through dates, the Constituent Assembly's composition, and the Preamble's key words. Questions often ask you to justify a label the Constitution carries.

Core rules

  • The Constituent Assembly was created under the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946). Its first sitting was 9 December 1946; Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution on 13 December 1946 and it was adopted on 22 January 1947.
  • The seven-member Drafting Committee was chaired by B. R. Ambedkar and appointed on 29 August 1947.
  • The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950, the date chosen to honour the Lahore Congress resolution of 1930.
  • Partly rigid, partly flexible: some articles need a special majority plus half the States (Art. 368), others only a simple majority.

Features to name

Written and the lengthiest in the world; parliamentary executive; federal with a strong Centre; single citizenship; independent judiciary with judicial review; universal adult franchise; six Fundamental Rights after the 44th Amendment deleted the right to property.

The Preamble's philosophy

Sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic; justice, liberty, equality, fraternity. 'Socialist', 'secular' and 'integrity' were inserted by the 42nd Amendment (1976). The Preamble is not enforceable in court but is used to interpret the Constitution.

Worked example

Q: Why is the Indian federation described as having a unitary bias? Reasoning: the Seventh Schedule gives residuary power to the Union (Art. 248); Governors are appointed by the President, not elected; Art. 356 permits President's Rule; All India Services serve both levels; and emergency provisions can convert the system into a unitary one. Conclusion: federal in form, strong-Centre in operation.

Traps

Adoption (26 November 1949) vs commencement (26 January 1950); Objectives Resolution vs Preamble; the word 'federal' never appears in the Constitution; the Preamble is not a source of substantive power.