Salient Features of the Constitution

1.  Lengthiest Written Constitution
2. Drawn From Various Sources –from various other countries as well as from the Government of India Act of 1935. 
3.  According to Dr. B R Ambedkar, the Constitution of India has been framed after ‘ransacking all the known Constitutions of the World ’.
4.  Blend of Rigidity and Flexibility 
5.  Federal System with Unitary Bias

• A Secular State

1.  no official religion of the Indian State.

• Universal Adult Franchise

     i. a basis of elections to the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies. 

    ii. Every citizen above 18 years 

  iii.The voting age was 21 years in 1989. It was reduced by the 61st Constitutional                  Amendment Act of 1988.

• Single Citizenship

1.  Indian Constitution is federal and envisages a dual polity (Centre and states), 
2.  There is only the Indian citizenship.

•  Independent Bodies

1.  Provides for the legislative, executive and judicial organs
2.  Establishes certain independent bodies. 

•   Emergency Provisions

1.  Why incorporated to safeguard the sovereignty, unity, integrity, and security of the country, the democratic political system, and the Constitution.

•  Three-tier Government

    i. Dual polity and contained provisions with regard to the organization and powers of the Centre and the states.

   ii. 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts (1992) -added a third-tier of government not found in any other Constitution of the world.

•  Parliamentary Form of Government

i. Presence of nominal and real executives;

ii. Majority party rule,

iii. Collective responsibility of the executive to the legislature,

iv. Membership of the ministers in the legislature, 

v. Leadership of the prime minister or the chief minister, 

vi. Dissolution of the lower House 

• Synthesis of Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Supremacy

• Integrated and Independent Judiciary

• Fundamental Rights 

i. Part III 

ii. guarantees six fundamental rights to all the citizens

1.  Right to Equality (Articles 14–18), 
2.  Right to Freedom (Articles 19–22), Right against Exploitation (Articles 23–24),
3.  Right to Freedom of Religion (Articles 25–28),
4.  Cultural and Educational Rights (Articles 29–30), and 
5.  The Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32).

• Directive Principles of State Policy(DPSP)

         i ) Part IV of the Constitution

         ii. According to Dr. B R Ambedkar, the Directive Principles of State Policy is a ‘novel feature’              of the Indian Constitution.

        iii. Why needed for promoting the ideal of social and economic democracy

        iv. There are three broad categories

•                    Socialistic
• 
  
•                    Gandhian 
• 
  
•                    liberal–intellectual.  

• Fundamental Duties

   i. Added during the operation of internal emergency (1975–77) by the 42nd Constitutional                    Amendment Act of 1976

   ii. added on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee.

  iii. The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2002 added 11th fundamental duty.