On Constitution Day, which falls on the 26th of November each year, the Prime Minister of India unveiled several new initiatives under the e-court project. This included the Virtual Justice Clock, JustIS mobile App 2.0, Digital court, and S3WaaS Websites. These innovative tools are designed to facilitate the rapid and efficient administration of justice.
Detailed Overview of Initiatives under the E-Court Project
The new initiatives introduced a range of digital mechanisms aimed at strengthening the justice system. Virtual Justice Clock displays critical statistics about the justice delivery system at the Court level. The JustIS Mobile App 2.0 provides judicial officers with a powerful tool for effective court and case management by monitoring the pendency and disposal of cases.
The Digital Court initiative aims at digitizing court records to streamline operations and support the transition towards paperless courts. Meanwhile, the S3WaaS Websites offer a framework comprising generating, configuring, deploying, and managing websites to publish specific information and services related to district judiciary.
The Significance of Constitution Day
The annual observance of Constitution Day commemorates the day in 1949 when the Constituent Assembly of India formally adopted the Constitution that came into effect on the 26th of January, 1950. Also known as National Law Day, it was officially recognized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in a Government of India directive dated 19th November 2015.
The Journey Towards Framing the Indian Constitution
In 1934, M N Roy championed the idea of a constituent assembly which led to elections under the Cabinet Mission plan of 1946 for the formation of the constituent assembly. The assembly went on to form the Constitution of India. Several committees were established to oversee different aspects of the constitution’s development, including the Drafting Committee under B. R. Ambedkar and the Union Power Committee and the Union Constitution Committee, both under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Intriguing Aspects of the Indian Constitution
The Indian Constitution is globally recognized for its length and complexity. It exhibits a federal system with unitary features and a parliamentary form of government. The entire drafting process spanned over two years, 11 months, and 18 days.
The original copies of the Constitution are handwritten and preserved in a helium-filled case in the Parliament library. Authored by Prem Bihari Narain Raizada, they were originally presented in English and Hindi. The Constitution draws heavily on the Government of India Act, 1935, for its basic structure and incorporates features borrowed from various countries.
Insightful UPSC Examination Questions on the Constitution
One notable question from the 2021 UPSC Civil Services Prelims was regarding the constitutional status of India on the 26th of January, 1950. The correct answer highlights that India was a Sovereign Democratic Republic at that time, with the terms Socialist and Secular being added to the Preamble in the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.
A relevant Mains question from 2015 asked candidates to discuss how the Constituent Assembly managed to draft the Constitution for Independent India in just three years, attributing this accomplishment to the experience gained with the Government of India Act, 1935.
