In this article, we will discuss Salient Features of Indian Constitution (Part-1). So, let’s get started.
Salient Features of Indian Constitution (Part-1)
The salient features of the Constitution as it stands today are as follows :
1. Lengthiest Written Constitution
Constitution are classified into written, like the American Constitution, or unwritten, like the British Constitution. The Constitution of India is the lengthiest of all the written Constitution of the world. It is a very comprehensive elaborare and detailed document. Originally (1949), the constitution contained a Preamble, 395 Article s (divided into 22 parts) and 8 Schedules. Presently (2019). it consists of a Preamble, about 470 Articles (divided into 25 parts) and 12 Schedules. The various amendments carried out since 1951 have deleted about 20 Articles and one part (VII) and added about 95 Articals, four parts (IVA, IXA, IXB and XIVA ) and four schedules. (9, 10, 11, and 12). No other Constitution in the world has so many Articles and schedules.
Four factors have contributed to the elephantine size of our Constitution. They are:
(a) Geographical factors, that is the vastness of the century and its diversity.
(b) Historical factors, e.g., the influence of the Government of INDIA Act of 1935, which was bulky.
(c) Single Constitution for both the centre and the states.
(d) Dominance of legal luminaries in the Constituent Assembly.
2. Drawn From Various Sources
The Constitution of India has borrowed most of its provision from the Constitution of various other countries as well as from the Government of India Act of 1935. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar proudly acclaimed that the Constitution of India has been framed after ransacking all the known Constitutions of the World. The structural part of the Constitution is, to a large extent, derived from the Government of India Act of 1935. The philosophical part of the Constitution (the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy) derive their inspiration from the American and Irish Constitutions, respectively. The political part of the Constitution (the principle of Cabinet Government and the relations between the Executive and the Legislature) have been largely drawn from the British Constitution.
The other provisions of the Constitution have been drawn from the Constitutions of Canada, Australia, Germany, USSR (now Russia), France, South Africa, Japan and so on. The most profound influence and material source of the Constitution is the Government of India Act, 1935. The Federal Scheme, Judiciary, Governors, Emergency Powers, the Public Service Commissions and most of the administrative details are drawn from this Act. More than half of the provisions of Constitution are identical to or bear a close resemblance to the Act of 1935.
