Polity Test - 1

The Indian Constitution borrowed such features as parliamentary form of government, introduction of Speaker and his role, the concept of single citizenship, the Rule of law, procedure of lawmaking, etc from England. The Indian citizenship and nationality law and the Constitution of India provide single citizenship for all of India.

The Government of India Act 1935, the voluminous and final constitutional effort at governing British India, articulated three major goals: establishing a loose federal structure, achieving provincial autonomy, and safeguarding minority interests through separate electorates. The federal provisions, intended to unite princely states and British India at the centre, were not implemented because of ambiguities in safeguarding the existing privileges of princes. In February 1937, however, provincial autonomy became a reality when elections were held.

A Draft Constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Assembly on 4 November 1947. Draft  constitution was debated and over 2000 amendments were moved over a period of two years. Finally on 26 November, 1949, the process was completed and Constituent assembly adopted the constitution. 284 members signed the document and the process of constitution making was complete. 

The first temporary 2-day president of the Constituent Assembly was Dr Sachidanand Sinha. Later, Rajendra Prasad was elected president of the Constituent Assembly.

Public order as an item in the constitution figures in the state list under seventh schedule of the constitution.

Maharashtra has 48 seats among all these states.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of constituent assembly on 25 November 1949.

On 29 August, 1947, the Constituent Assembly set up a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to prepare a Draft Constitution for India. The Constituent assembly adopted the constitution on 26 November 1949 once the process of drafting was completed.

The Directive Principles are an amalgam of diverse subjects embracing the life of the nation and include principles which are general statements of social policy, principles of administrative policy, socioeconomic rights and a statement of the international policy of the country. Articles 41-43A and Article 48 specifically target the working sections of the nation and provide for the betterment of the workers and their living conditions. 

Political groups have demanded that the right to work, the right to economic assistance in case of unemployment, old age, and similar rights be enshrined as constitutional guarantees to address issues of poverty and economic insecurity, though these provisions have been enshrined in the Directive Principles of state policy.

The powers of panchayats are stated in the 11th schedule of the Indian Constitution. 8th schedule of constitution enlists 22 Indian recognized languages. 9th schedule was added by 1st amendment in 1957. It contains acts, orders related to land tenure, land tax, railways industry. 10th schedule was added by 52nd amendment in 1985, contains provisions of disqualification of grounds of defection.

The principles have been inspired by the Directive Principles given in the Constitution of Ireland and also by the principles of Gandhism; and relate to social justice, economic welfare, foreign policy, and legal and administrative matters. The makers of the Constitution of India were influenced by the Irish nationalist movement. Hence, the Directive Principles of the Indian constitution have been greatly influenced by the Directive Principles of State Policy. 

Fundamental Rights are those rights and freedoms of the people of India, which enjoy constitutional recognition and guarantee. The Supreme Court of India and State High Courts have the power to enforce Fundamental Rights. Supreme Court is the guardian protector of fundamental rights. The right to move to the courts for securing the fundamental rights is a very valuable right of the people. Citizens can go to the Supreme Court or the high Courts for getting their fundamental rights enforced. It empowers the Courts to issue directions or orders or writs for this purpose. 

The Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976 added ten Fundamental Duties of Indian citizens to the nation in Part W of the Constitution. These duties, set out in Part IV-A of the Constitution (under a constitutional amendment) concern individuals and the nation Like the Directive Principles, they are not legally enforceable.

Quo Warranto

• Quo Warranto  is a petition through which a person is asked under what authority or power he has acted or taken a decision.
• The purpose of this writ is to  restrain a person from holding a public office which he is not entitled.
• When a person starts acting as an officer of which he is not legally entitled, the court asks by this writ on what grounds he is acting in this position.
• This writ prohibits a person or an officer from performing an office for which he is not authorized, and thus, this writ prohibits the taking of public office by any person.

The makers of the Constitution of India were influenced by the Irish nationalist movement. Hence, the Directive Principles of the Indian constitution have been greatly influenced by the Directive Principles of State Policy as enshrined in the Irish Constitution.

The Forty-Forth Amendment of 1978 deleted the right to property from the list of fundamental rights. So it is now a legal right, not a fundamental right.

Rights imply certain duties. For example, if one has the right to follow one 's own religion, it is one 's duty to allow others to follow their own. Rights and duties are equally important and that is why our Constitution has laid down certain duties for the citizens along with rights. 

The Constitution of India initially recognised 7 fundamental rights: Right to equality, Right to freedom, Right against exploitation, Right to freedom of religion, Cultural and Educational rights, Right to constitutional remedies and Right to property. Under the 44th Amendment Act, right to property ceased to be a Fundamental right.

Liberty is one of the human rights which, in the words of John Locke, consists of being free from any superior power on Earth. However, it is non-absolute and can be limited by law or restricted in certain circumstances where there is a need to take into account the rights of other individuals or wider society. The truth is modem laws permit only limited forms of liberty.