On the 26th of November, India marked its 71st Constitution Day, fondly referred to as Samvidhan Diwas or National Law Day. This day signifies the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly in 1949. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment officially designated this day as ‘Constitution Day’ on November 19, 2015. As part of the celebration, several activities emphasizing the values and principles enshrined in the Constitution are conducted annually.
Facts about the Constitution of India
The process of framing the Constitution took approximately two years, 11 months, and 18 days. Interestingly, the original copies were hand-written, not typed or printed, and now lie preserved in a helium-filled case inside the Parliament’s library. Constituted in both English and Hindi, it draws features from the constitutions of various other countries, including Britain, Ireland, Japan, USA, South Africa, Germany, Australia, and Canada. The basic structure of the Indian Constitution is built on the Government of India Act of 1935.
The Drafting Committee
The idea of a constituent assembly was first proposed in 1934 by M N Roy. Elections for the formation of this assembly occurred under the Cabinet Mission plan of 1946. This led to the establishment of the Drafting Committee consisting of seven members: Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar, N. Gopalaswami, B.R. Ambedkar, K.M Munshi, Mohammad Saadulla, B.L. Mitter, and D.P. Khaitan. The committee elected B.R Ambedkar as its Chairman during its first meeting on the 30th of August, 1947.
Important Constitutional Amendments
An important milestone in the Indian Constitution is the First Amendment Act of 1951, which saved laws providing for the acquisition of estates and added the Ninth Schedule to protect land reforms from judicial review. The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act of 1956 significantly amended the Second and Seventh schedules for the purpose of the States Reorganization Act.
The Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976 brought significant changes, including alterations to the Preamble, the prioritization of Directive Principles over Fundamental Rights in Articles 14, 19, or 31, and the insertion of Article 51-A to create a new part called IV-A, which prescribed the Fundamental Duties to citizens.
New provisions were also added under the Constitution (44th Amendment) Act, 1978. These included provisions for an Emergency only based on written advice from the Cabinet to the President and the removal of the Right to Property from the list of Fundamental Rights.
The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 added a separate part IX to the Constitution with an addition in Article 243A and a new Schedule called the Eleventh Schedule, which lists the powers and functions of Panchayati Raj Institutions. Similar amendments were made for Urban Local Bodies under the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992.
Modern amendments include the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2017, introducing the Goods and Services Tax; the Constitution (102nd Amendment) Act, 2018, granting constitutional status to National Commission for Backward Classes; and the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, providing a maximum of 10% Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs) of citizens.
Last Modified: February 9, 2024