Appearance
13.3 — India: The Constitution, Government and Symbols
The category that decides more competitive exams than any other, and the one most people learn as a list and forget. Every entry here carries the reason the rule exists, which is what makes it stay.
The Constitution
When was the Constitution adopted, and when did it come into force? Adopted 26 November 1949, in force 26 January 1950. The gap is why India has both Constitution Day and Republic Day.
How long did it take to write? 2 years, 11 months and 18 days. The Constituent Assembly first met on 9 December 1946.
Who was the Constituent Assembly's permanent chairman? Dr Rajendra Prasad. Dr B. R. Ambedkar chaired the drafting committee, and Sachchidananda Sinha was the temporary first chairman.
How large is it? Originally 395 articles, 22 parts and 8 schedules; now over 470 articles, 25 parts and 12 schedules. It is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country.
Why is it so long? Because it covers the states as well as the union, includes administrative detail most countries leave to ordinary law, and had to accommodate a country of extreme diversity in one document.
Which countries did it borrow from? Britain for parliamentary government and rule of law, the United States for fundamental rights and judicial review, Ireland for Directive Principles, Canada for a strong centre, Australia for the concurrent list, Germany for emergency powers, and the Soviet Union for fundamental duties.
Is it handwritten? Yes. The original was calligraphed by Prem Behari Narain Raizada and illustrated by Nandalal Bose's team at Santiniketan, and is kept in helium-filled cases in Parliament.
What does the Preamble call India? A sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. Socialist and secular were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976.
Which amendment is called the "mini-Constitution"? The 42nd, of 1976, passed during the Emergency. It changed so much that much of it was reversed by the 44th in 1978.
What is the Basic Structure doctrine? The principle that Parliament can amend the Constitution but cannot destroy its essential features. It came from the Kesavananda Bharati case in 1973.
How many Fundamental Rights are there now? Six. The right to property was removed as a fundamental right by the 44th Amendment and made a legal right instead.
Which article is the right to equality, and which is the right to life? Article 14 is equality before law; Article 21 is protection of life and personal liberty, and it has been read to include privacy, education, clean air and a speedy trial.
Which article abolishes untouchability? Article 17. Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
What did Ambedkar call Article 32? The heart and soul of the Constitution. It is the right to move the Supreme Court directly for enforcement of fundamental rights.
What are the five writs? Habeas corpus (produce the body), mandamus (we command), prohibition, certiorari and quo warranto (by what authority). Remember them as: free the person, force the duty, stop the court, review the order, prove your right to the post.
What are Directive Principles, and are they enforceable? Guidelines for the state in Part IV — not enforceable in court, but declared fundamental to governance. Borrowed from Ireland.
When were Fundamental Duties added, and how many? By the 42nd Amendment in 1976, originally ten, now eleven — the eleventh, on education of children, added in 2002.
How many schedules, and what do the famous ones cover? Twelve. The Seventh divides powers into Union, State and Concurrent lists; the Eighth lists the 22 scheduled languages; the Ninth holds laws protected from judicial review; the Tenth is the anti-defection law.
Parliament and the executive
What are the two houses of Parliament called? Lok Sabha, the House of the People, and Rajya Sabha, the Council of States. Parliament is the two houses plus the President.
What are the maximum strengths? Lok Sabha 550 elected plus the Speaker's arrangements; Rajya Sabha 250, of whom 12 are nominated by the President for expertise in literature, science, art or social service.
Which house can be dissolved? The Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha is permanent, with a third of its members retiring every two years.
Which house alone can pass a Money Bill? The Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha may only recommend changes, and must return it within 14 days.
Who decides whether a bill is a Money Bill? The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and the decision is final.
When is a joint sitting called, and who presides? When the houses deadlock on an ordinary bill. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides — which is why the Lok Sabha effectively wins, being larger.
How many joint sittings have been held? Three: for the Dowry Prohibition Bill in 1961, the Banking Service Commission Repeal Bill in 1978, and the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in 2002.
Who is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha? The Vice-President of India.
How is the President elected? Indirectly, by an electoral college of elected MPs and elected members of state legislative assemblies, by single transferable vote. Nominated members do not vote.
What is the President's term, and who can be impeached and how? Five years. The President can be removed only by impeachment for violation of the Constitution, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses.
Who was India's first Vice-President? Dr S. Radhakrishnan, who later became President. His birthday, 5 September, is Teachers' Day.
Who was the first woman President, and the first woman Prime Minister? Pratibha Patil, 2007, and Indira Gandhi, 1966.
Who was India's first Law Minister? Dr B. R. Ambedkar. India's first Education Minister was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, whose birthday is National Education Day.
Who administers the oath to the President? The Chief Justice of India, or in their absence the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court.
What is a no-confidence motion, and where can it be moved? A motion that the government has lost the House's confidence, movable only in the Lok Sabha.
What is the anti-defection law? The Tenth Schedule, added in 1985, disqualifying legislators who leave their party or defy the whip. The Speaker or Chairman decides.
What is the Zero Hour? The period immediately after Question Hour when members may raise urgent matters without notice. It is an Indian innovation and appears in no rulebook.
What is a Quorum? One-tenth of the total membership of the house, including the presiding officer.
The judiciary
How many judges can the Supreme Court have? The Chief Justice plus 33 others, so 34 in total. It began in 1950 with eight.
What is the retirement age for Supreme Court and High Court judges? 65 for the Supreme Court, 62 for High Courts.
Which is India's oldest High Court? Calcutta, established in 1862, followed within months by Bombay and Madras.
What is judicial review? The power of courts to strike down laws that violate the Constitution. It is why the Basic Structure doctrine could exist.
What is a Public Interest Litigation? A petition brought by anybody on behalf of those who cannot approach the court themselves, developed in India from the late 1970s. It relaxed the rule that only an affected person may sue.
What is the collegium? The system by which senior Supreme Court judges recommend judicial appointments. It has no basis in the Constitution's text and comes from a set of Supreme Court judgments.
Elections and institutions
Who conducts elections in India? The Election Commission, a constitutional body under Article 324. It has been a three-member body for most of its recent history.
What is the Model Code of Conduct? Rules governing party and candidate behaviour once elections are announced. It has no statutory backing and is enforced by convention and by the Commission's authority.
What is NOTA? None of the Above, introduced in 2013. It records disapproval but does not void the election even if it wins the most votes.
What is the minimum age to vote, to be a Lok Sabha member, and to be President? 18, 25 and 35. The voting age was lowered from 21 by the 61st Amendment in 1988.
What is the Comptroller and Auditor General? The constitutional auditor of all government accounts, appointed for six years or to age 65, removable only like a Supreme Court judge. Ambedkar called it the most important officer under the Constitution.
What are the Finance Commission and the NITI Aayog? The Finance Commission is a constitutional body set up every five years to divide tax revenue between the centre and states. NITI Aayog is a policy think tank that replaced the Planning Commission in 2015.
What are the three types of emergency? National (Article 352), President's Rule in a state (356), and Financial (360). The financial emergency has never been used.
National symbols
What is the national flag's ratio, and who designed it? 3:2. Adapted from Pingali Venkayya's design, with the Ashoka Chakra replacing the charkha.
How many spokes on the Ashoka Chakra? 24.
What is the national anthem, and how long should it take? Jana Gana Mana, by Tagore, adopted 24 January 1950, to be sung in about 52 seconds.
What is the national song? Vande Mataram, by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, given equal status with the anthem.
National animal, bird, flower, tree, fruit and river? Tiger, Indian peacock, lotus, banyan, mango, and the Ganga. The Ganges river dolphin is the national aquatic animal.
What is the national emblem, and what is written below it? The Lion Capital of Ashoka, with Satyameva Jayate — truth alone triumphs — from the Mundaka Upanishad, written in Devanagari.
What is the national calendar? The Saka calendar, adopted in 1957, whose year one corresponds to 78 CE.
What is India's highest civilian award, and its highest gallantry award? Bharat Ratna and Param Vir Chakra. The Padma awards come in three grades below Bharat Ratna.
Who was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra? Major Somnath Sharma, posthumously, for Kashmir in 1947.
Which is India's highest cinema award, and its highest literary award? The Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Jnanpith Award.
States and administration
How many states and union territories does India have? 28 states and 8 union territories. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh became union territories in 2019.
Which was the first state formed on a linguistic basis? Andhra, in 1953, after Potti Sriramulu's death.
Which are India's newest states? Telangana, formed in 2014 from Andhra Pradesh. Before that, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand in 2000.
Which state has the most Lok Sabha seats? Uttar Pradesh, with 80.
Which two states share a capital city? Punjab and Haryana share Chandigarh, which is itself a union territory.
Which state has a separate constitutional provision for its tribal areas? Several — the Sixth Schedule covers autonomous districts in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
Who is the constitutional head of a state? The Governor, appointed by the President. The Chief Minister heads the elected government.
What is a Panchayati Raj, and which amendments created it? Three-tier local self-government, given constitutional status by the 73rd Amendment for rural areas and the 74th for urban, both in 1992.
Which state first implemented Panchayati Raj? Rajasthan, at Nagaur in 1959, followed by Andhra Pradesh.
What is the Seventh Schedule's Concurrent List? Subjects on which both centre and states may legislate — education, forests, criminal law and others. If the two conflict, the central law prevails.
Numbers worth carrying
India's national income accounting begins with which term? GDP, gross domestic product. India's financial year runs 1 April to 31 March.
Who prints Indian currency notes, and who mints coins? The Reserve Bank of India issues notes of all denominations except one rupee; the Government of India issues the one-rupee note and all coins.
What is written on Indian banknotes, and in how many languages? The denomination appears in 17 languages on the reverse panel, plus Hindi and English on the front.
When was the RBI established, and when nationalised? Established 1935 on the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission, nationalised in 1949.
What is the sex ratio and literacy rate from the 2011 census? 943 females per 1,000 males, and 74.04 per cent literacy. Kerala led on both.
Which census was the first in India? 1872, under Lord Mayo, with the first complete synchronous census in 1881 under Lord Ripon.
What comes next
The next page is India's geography — the rivers, ranges, states and the long list of firsts and superlatives that quizzes lean on hardest.