Class Notes of Lectures On Polity
Uploaded by
Chayan PanchalClass Notes of Lectures On Polity
Uploaded by
Chayan PanchalKjhu " Kjhu J?
ANP
Pda >aop S]u pk Na]` J?ANP***
1&(57
)*/ .
Hmch`mOnkhsx
%Fnudqm`mbd
Bk`rr5,01'Nkc*Mdv(
Kjhu " Kjhu J?ANP
Pda >aop S]u pk Na]` J?ANP***
1&(57
)*/ .
Hmch`mOnkhsx
%Fnudqm`mbd
Bk`rr5,01'Nkc*Mdv(
"VUIPST
7BJCIBW"OBOE#IBSEXBK
,IVTICPP4IBSNB
"3*)"/516#-*$"5*0/4 */%*" -*.*5&%
"3*)"/516#-*$"5*0/4 */%*" -*.*5&%
"MM3JHIUT3FTFSWFE
ª 1VCMJTIFS
/PQBSUPGUIJTQVCMJDBUJPONBZCFSFQSPEVDFE TUPSFEJOBSFUSJFWBMTZTUFNPSCZ
BOZNFBOT FMFDUSPOJD NFDIBOJDBM QIPUPDPQZJOH SFDPSEJOH TDBOOJOH XFCPS
PUIFSXJTFXJUIPVUUIFXSJUUFOQFSNJTTJPOPGUIFQVCMJTIFS"SJIBOUIBTPCUBJOFE
BMMUIFJOGPSNBUJPOJOUIJTCPPLGSPNUIFTPVSDFTCFMJFWFEUPCFSFMJBCMFBOEUSVF
)PXFWFS "SJIBOUPSJUTFEJUPSTPSBVUIPSTPSJMMVTUSBUPSTEPOUUBLFBOZ
SFTQPOTJCJMJUZGPSUIFBCTPMVUFBDDVSBDZPGBOZJOGPSNBUJPOQVCMJTIFEBOEUIF
EBNBHFPSMPTTTVGGFSFEUIFSFVQPO
"MMEJTQVUFTTVCKFDUUP.FFSVU 61 KVSJTEJDUJPOPOMZ
"ENJOJTUSBUJWF1SPEVDUJPO0GGJDFT
3FHE0GGJDF
A3BNDIIBZB "HBSXBM3PBE %BSZB(BOK /FX%FMIJ
5FMF
)FBE0GGJDF
,BMJOEJ 51/BHBS .FFSVU 61
5FM
4BMFT4VQQPSU0GGJDFT
"HSB "INFEBCBE #FOHBMVSV #BSFJMMZ $IFOOBJ %FMIJ (VXBIBUJ
)ZEFSBCBE +BJQVS +IBOTJ ,PMLBUB -VDLOPX /BHQVS1VOF
10/P dydͲyyͲyyyyyyyͲyͲyy
1VCMJTIFECZ"SJIBOU1VCMJDBUJPOT *OEJB -UE
'PSGVSUIFSJOGPSNBUJPOBCPVUUIFCPPLTQVCMJTIFECZ"SJIBOU MPHPOUP
XXXBSJIBOUCPPLTDPNPSFNBJMBUJOGP!BSJIBOUCPPLTDPN
'PMMPXVTPO
<RXU$FKLHYHPHQW
2XU&RPPLWPHQW
#&'03&"/:5)*/(&-4& 13&1"3"5*0/*45)&,&:5046$$&44
$JWJM4FSWJDFT&YBNJOBUJPOTBSFUIFNPTUQSFTUJHJPVTBOEDPWFUFEFYBNJOBUJPOTJO*OEJB%VFUP
UIFQPXFS BVUIPSJUZ SFQVUBUJPO UIJTDBSFFSBUUSBDUTFWFSZBTQJSBOUUPIPMEUIFQPTUBOECFDPNF
*"4*14PGGJDFS6OJPO1VCMJD4FSWJDF$PNNJTTJPO 614$ BOE4UBUF1VCMJD4FSWJDF$PNNJTTJPO
414$ DPOEVDUUIJTFYBNJOBUJPOFWFSZZFBSBOEMBLITPGBTQJSBOUTBDSPTTUIFDPVOUSZUPJMGPSZFBST
UPHFUIFSUPDSBDLUIJTEJTUJOHVJTIFEFYBNJOUIFDPVOUSZ
#FJOHUIFUPVHIFTUFYBN JUBVUPNBUJDBMMZDPOTJTUTPGBWBTUBOEBEFUBJMFETZMMBCVT"TQJSBOUT
PGUFOGJOEJUEJGGJDVMUUPDPWFSUIFFOUJSFTZMMBCVTBOEMBDLBSJHIUEJSFDUJPOGPSBQSPQFSBOEB
TZTUFNBUJDTUVEZGPSUIFFYBN
5IFNPTUJNQPSUBOUBTQFDUPGUIJTQSFQBSBUJPOKPVSOFZBSFUIF/$&35CPPLT&WFSZZFBS
BQQSPYJNBUFMZRVFTUJPOTEJSFDUMZDPNFGSPN/$&35CPPLT
/$&35CPPLTBMTPQMBZBLFZSPMFJOVOEFSTUBOEJOHUIF#BTJD$PODFQUT TPUIBUBTQJSBOUTDBOFBTJMZ
GPSNUIFCBTJDGPVOEBUJPOPGUIFFOUJSFTZMMBCVT#VUEVFUPUIFEFNBOEGPSNBOZ/$&35CPPLT
XIJDIBSFSFRVJSFEGPSTUVEZ JUCFDPNFTFYIBVTUJOHUPDPWFSFBDIBOEFWFSZ/$&35CPPL
/$&35/05&44&3*&4QSFTFOUFECZ"SJIBOU1VCMJDBUJPOTDPWFSTDPNQMFUFUFYUGSPN$MBTTUIUP
UI/$&35CPPLT CPUI0ME/FX JOBDPNQSFIFOTJWFNBOOFS5IFTFSJFTJTFYUSFNFMZVTFGVM
GPS614$BOE4UBUF14$FYBNJOBUJPOT5IFDIBQUFSXJTFQSFTFOUBUJPOPG/$&35UFYUJTHJWFOJOUIF
IFBEJOHDVNQPJOUFSGPSNBUGPSRVJDLHSBTQJOH5IFUIFPSZJOFBDIDIBQUFSJTGBDJMJUFEXJUI
DIBSUT UBCMFT FUDUPNBLFUIFQSFQBSBUJPOFBTZBOEDPOWFOJFOU&YBNGPDVTFEMBTUNJOVUF
SFWJTJPOUPQJDTBSFBMTPDPWFSFEJOUIFBQQFOEJY
5IFCPPLJTBEPSOFEXJUIRVFTUJPOTQSFQBSFECZBUFBNPGFYQFSUTBMPOHXJUIBWJUBMSPMFQMBZFE
CZUIF1SPKFDU.BOBHFNFOUUFBNXJUINFNCFST.POB:BEBW 1SPKFDU.BOBHFS %JWZB(VTBJO
1SPKFDU$PPSEJOBUPS 4IJWBOJ%JYJU "ZVTI3BKQVU 1SPPGSFBEFST 7JOBZ4IBSNB ,BNBM,JTIPS
4POV,VNBS %51DPPSEJOBUPST 4IBOVBOE"OLJU4BJOJ $PWFSBOE*OOFSEFTJHOFS
8FIPQFUIJTCPPLXJMMIFMQUIFBTQJSBOUTUPBDIJFWFUIFJSHPBMTPGDMFBSJOH614$BTXFMMBT4UBUF
1$4FYBNT:PVSWBMVBCMFTVHHFTUJPOTIBWFBMXBZTJOTQJSFEVTUPTUSJWFGPSVTFGVM BVUIFOUJDBOE
NPSFUSVTUXPSUIZQVCMJDBUJPOT4PZPVSJOQVUTBOETVHHFTUJPOTBSFXFMDPNFEGPSTVCTFRVFOU
FEJUJPOT
8FXJTIZPVBMMUIFWFSZCFTUGPSZPVSQSFQBSBUJPOBOEKPVSOFZ
"VUIPST
&217(176
*/%*"/10-*5:"/%(07&3/"/$&
$IBQUFS $POTUJUVUJPOBM%FWFMPQNFOUJO*OEJB
z *NQPSUBOU-BOENBSLTJO*OEJBO$POTUJUVUJPOBM%FWFMPQNFOU
$IBQUFS .BLJOHPGUIF*OEJBO$POTUJUVUJPO
z $POTUJUVUJPO
z %FWFMPQNFOUPGUIF*OEJBO$POTUJUVUJPO
$IBQUFS *OEJBO$POTUJUVUJPO1SFBNCMFBOE*UT'FBUVSFT
z 1SFBNCMFPGUIF*OEJBO$POTUJUVUJPO
z 4BMJFOU'FBUVSFTPGUIF*OEJBO$POTUJUVUJPO
$IBQUFS *OEJBO'FEFSBUJPOBOE3FPSHBOJTBUJPOPG4UBUFT
z 'FEFSBMJTN
z 4UBUFT3FPSHBOJTBUJPO
$IBQUFS $JUJ[FOTIJQ
z .FBOJOHPG$JUJ[FOTIJQ
z "DRVJTJUJPOBOE%FUFSNJOBUJPOPG*OEJBO$JUJ[FOTIJQ
$IBQUFS 'VOEBNFOUBM3JHIUT
z 3JHIUT
z $MBTTJGJDBUJPOPG'VOEBNFOUBM3JHIUT
$IBQUFS %JSFDUJWF1SJODJQMFTPG4UBUF1PMJDZ
z %JSFDUJWF1SJODJQMFT
z $POGMJDUCFUXFFO%JSFDUJWF1SJODJQMFTBOE'VOEBNFOUBM3JHIUT
$IBQUFS 'VOEBNFOUBM%VUJFT
z 'VOEBNFOUBM%VUJFTJOUIF*OEJBO$POTUJUVUJPO
z 3FMBUJPO#FUXFFO'VOEBNFOUBM3JHIUTBOE'VOEBNFOUBM%VUJFT
$IBQUFS 6OJPO&YFDVUJWF
z &YFDVUJWF
z 1SFTJEFOU
z 7JDF1SFTJEFOU
z 1SJNF.JOJTUFS
z %FQVUZ1SJNF.JOJTUFS
z $PVODJMPG.JOJTUFST
z "UUPSOFZ(FOFSBM
z $FOUSBM"ENJOJTUSBUJPO4USVDUVSFBOE8PSLJOH
$IBQUFS 6OJPO-FHJTMBUVSF
z -FHJTMBUVSF
z 4USVDUVSFPG1BSMJBNFOU
z 4FTTJPOTPG1BSMJBNFOU
z -FHJTMBUJWF1SPDFEVSFJO1BSMJBNFOU
z #VEHFUJO1BSMJBNFOUBOE'JOBODJBM1SPDFTT
z 1BSMJBNFOUBSZ$PNNJUUFFT
$IBQUFS 4UBUF&YFDVUJWF
z $POTUJUVUJPOBM1SPWJTJPOTGPSUIF4UBUF&YFDVUJWF
z 4UBUF$PVODJMPG.JOJTUFST
$IBQUFS 4UBUF-FHJTMBUVSF
z $POTUJUVUJPOBM1SPWJTJPOT3FHBSEJOH4UBUF-FHJTMBUVSF
z $PNQPTJUJPOPG4UBUF-FHJTMBUVSF
z -FHJTMBUJWF1SPDFEVSFJO4UBUF-FHJTMBUVSF
$IBQUFS +VEJDJBSZ
z 4VQSFNF$PVSUPG*OEJB
z )JHI$PVSUT
z 4VCPSEJOBUF$PVSUT
$IBQUFS 'FEFSBMJTNBOE$FOUSF4UBUF3FMBUJPOT
z 'FEFSBMJTNJO*OEJB
z $FOUSF4UBUF3FMBUJPOT
$IBQUFS &NFSHFODZ1SPWJTJPOT
z $POTUJUVUJPOBM1SPWJTJPOTGPS&NFSHFODZ
z 1VODIIJ$PNNJTTJPOPO&NFSHFODZ1SPWJTJPOT
$IBQUFS $JWJM4FSWJDFT
z 1VCMJD$JWJM4FSWJDFT
z -FWFMPG"ENJOJTUSBUJPOJO$JWJM4FSWJDFT
z #VSFBVDSBDZ
$IBQUFS 0GGJDJBM-BOHVBHF
z )JTUPSZPG0GGJDJBM-BOHVBHF
z *NQPSUBOU"SUJDMFT3FMBUFEUP-BOHVBHFT
$IBQUFS 4QFDJBM1SPWJTJPOTGPS.BSHJOBMJTFE4FDUJPOT
z 4DIFEVMFE$BTUFT
z 4DIFEVMFE5SJCFT
z 0UIFS#BDLXBSE$MBTTFT
z 8PNFO
z $IJMESFO
z 1FSTPOTXJUI%JTBCJMJUJFT
$IBQUFS -PDBM4FMG(PWFSONFOU
z 1BODIBZBUJ3BK4ZTUFN
z 3VSBM-PDBM(PWFSONFOU*OTUJUVUJPOT
z 6SCBO-PDBM(PWFSONFOU*OTUJUVUJPOT
z $PNNJUUFFT"TTPDJBUFEXJUI-PDBM4FMG(PWFSONFOU
$IBQUFS &MFDUJPOTBOE1BSUZ4ZTUFNJO*OEJB
z &MFDUJPO
z &MFDUJPO$PNNJTTJPOPG*OEJB
z &MFDUPSBM3FGPSN
z 1PMJUJDBM1BSUJFT
$IBQUFS 4QFDJBM1SPWJTJPOTGPS4PNF4UBUFTBOE3FHJPOBM"TQJSBUJPOT
z 4QFDJBM1SPWJTJPOTGPS/PSUI&BTU*OEJB
z 4QFDJBM1SPWJTJPOTGPS0UIFS4UBUFT
$IBQUFS $POTUJUVUJPOBMBOE/PO$POTUJUVUJPOBM#PEJFT
z $POTUJUVUJPOBM#PEJFT
z /PO$POTUJUVUJPOBM#PEJFT
$IBQUFS $POTUJUVUJPOBM"NFOENFOUT
z .FBOJOHPG$POTUJUVUJPOBM"NFOENFOU
z -JTUPG*NQPSUBOU"NFOENFOUTUP*OEJBO$POTUJUVUJPO
$IBQUFS 1PMJUJDBM5IFPSJFTBOE*EFPMPHJFT
z 1PMJUJDBM5IFPSZ"O*OUSPEVDUJPO
$IBQUFS *OEJBT'PSFJHO1PMJDZ /FJHICPVSJOH$PVOUSJFT
BOE/BUJPOBM4ZNCPMT
z 'PSFJHO1PMJDZPG*OEJB
z *OEJBBOE*UT/FJHICPVSJOH$PVOUSJFT
z /BUJPOBM4ZNCPMT
"QQFOEJY
CHAPTER
INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
NCERT Notes
01 01
Constitutional
Development in India
Sources Class-XI Old NCERT Chap 1 (Important Turning Points of Constitutional Development)
The process of constitutional development in India British Judges were to be sent to India to administer the
started with the establishment of the East India British Legal System that was used there. Sir Elijah
Company. There are certain events in the British rule Impey was the first Chief Justice.
that laid down the legal framework for the The Court of Directors was made to report about its
organisation and functioning of government and revenue, civil and military affairs in India to the British
administration in British India. These events have Government.
greatly influenced our Constitution and polity.
Act of Settlement, 1781
Important Landmarks in Indian This Act was an Amending Act, which removed the
Constitutional Development shortcomings of the Regulating Act, 1773. It is also
known as the Declaratory Act, 1781.
Important landmark Acts associated with Indian
Constitutional development are as follows : The basic aim of the Act of Settlement, 1781 was to
establish a new system of courts for removing the
Regulating Act, 1773 grievances against the Supreme Court.
This Act was passed by the British Parliament to This Act reduced the number of members of Executive
control the affairs of East India Company in India. and Provincial Council from 4 to 3.
For the first time, it recognised the political and
Pitts India Act of 1784
administrative functions of the Company and laid
the foundation of Central Administration in India. This Act established the Board of Control over the Court
of Directors to guide and supervise the affairs of the
The Act elevated Governor of Bengal Warren
Company in India.
Hastings to Governor-General and subsumed the
presidencies of Madras and Bombay under Bengal’s It was introduced to remove the drawbacks of the
control. Regulating Act. It was named after the then British Prime
Minister, William Pitt. The Act placed Indian affairs
The Act named four additional members to serve
under the direct control of the British Government.
with the Governor-General of Bengal in the
Calcutta Council. These councillors were The Governor-General and Council were made
commonly known as the Council of Four. subordinate to British Government. They were forbidden
to declare war and enter into any treaty without the
A Supreme Court was established in 1774 at Fort
sanction of the Directors or the Secret Committee.
William in Calcutta comprising one Chief Justice
and three other judges. It demarcated the political and commercial functions of
the company.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
02
The Act clearly stated that the Presidencies of Madras Fourth member was added to Governor-General’s
and Bombay were to be subordinate to the Presidency Council for legislative purposes. Lord Macaulay was
of Bengal in all matters of war, diplomatic relations the first person to hold the office.
and revenue. The Act vested the legislative powers exclusively in
Governor-General in council and deprived Governor
Act of 1786
of Bombay and Madras of their legislative powers.
Lord Cornwallis demanded that power of the
The Indian Civil Services was founded. It attempted to
Governor-General should be enlarged to empower
introduce a system of open competition for selection of
him, to override the majority of his council and act on
civil servants and affirmed that the Indians should not
his own special responsibility.
be barred from holding any place, office or employment
The Act of 1786 was enacted to give him the power of under the Company.
working as both Governor-General and Commander in
East India Company (EIC) became the political ruler
Chief. Thus, via Act of 1786, Cornwallis became the
of India. EIC’s commercial functions and activities
first effective ruler of British India under the authority
were ended, making it a purely administrative body.
of Board of Control and the Court of Directors.
The administration was urged to take steps to improve
Charter Act of 1793 the conditions of slaves and to ultimately abolish
According to this Act, the Charter of the Company was slavery (slavery was abolished in 1843).
renewed for 20 years and it was declared that it would This Act was the final steps towards centralisation in
be allowed to continue with the possession of all British India.
territories for the next 20 years.
Charter Act of 1853
A regular code of all regulations was framed that
could be enacted for the internal Government of the This Act carried separation of the executive and the
British territory in Bengal. legislative functions a step further by the provision of
additional members of Council for the purpose of the
The regulation applied to the rights, persons and
legislation.
property of the Indian people and it bound the courts
to regulate their decisions by the rules and The Law Member was made a full member of the
regulations. Executive Council of the Governor-General. The
consent of the Governor-General was made necessary
Thus, this Act laid the foundation of government by
for all legislative proposals.
written laws and regulations in British India in place
of the personal rule of the past rulers. Central Legislative Council was to consist of one
representative each from the provinces. Measures
Charter Act of 1813 concerning a province were to be considered in the
This Act renewed the Company’s Charter for 20 years, presence of representatives from that province.
but it asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Calcutta
over the Indian territories held by the Company. was to be the ex-officio member of the Council.
The Company was allowed to have territorial The Council in its legislative capacity was to consist of
possessions for another 20 years. It was deprived of its 12 members. These included the Governor-General,
monopoly of trade with India. Commander-in-Chief, four members of his Council,
It was allowed to continue with its monopoly of trade and six legislative members.
with China for 20 years. The number of Directors was reduced from 24 to 18.
Six of them were to be nominated by the Crown.
Charter Act of 1833
This Act came into being after many socio-political Government of India, Act of 1858
changes in British society. This Act transferred the Government, territories, and
The act gave another 20 years to East India Company revenues of India from the East India Company to the
to trade in India. It was the final step towards British Crown. British Crown assumed sovereignty
concentration in British India. over India from the East India Company.
The rule of the Company was replaced by the rule of
Features of the Act, 1833 the Crown in India.
It made the Governor-General of Bengal as the The Board of Control and the Court of Directors were
Governor-General of India and gave him all civil and abolished. Their place was taken by the Secretary of
military powers. Lord William Bentinck was the first State of India and his Indian Council. They were to
Governor- General of India. govern India in the name of her majesty.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
03
The Secretary of State was to sit in Parliament. It increased the power of legislative councils and gave
He was a Cabinet Minister of England and was them the power of discussing the budget and
responsible to Parliament. Ultimate power over India addressing questions to the executive.
remained with Parliament. The non-official members of the Provincial Legislative
The Act created an Indian Council of 15 members. It Council to be nominated by local bodies such as
was to advise the Secretary of State who could Universities, District boards and Municipalities.
overrule its decisions. The functions of the Legislative Councils both at
Approval of the Council was essential in financial Central and Provinces were enlarged, so as to include
matters. Most of the members of the Indian Council the discussion on the financial statement (budget),
were those who had retired from Indian services. addressing questions to the executive, etc.
The Governor-General became known from now as
Indian Councils Act of 1909
the Viceroy or Crown’s representative. In matters of
policy and its execution, the Viceroy was increasingly This Act is also known as the Morley-Minto Reforms
reduced to a subordinate position in relation to the after the Secretary of State for India (Lord Morley and
British Government. The Government of India was the Viceroy Lord Minto).
finally directly controlled from London. It changed the name of the Central Legislative Council
The Act for the first time introduced local to the Imperial Legislative Council.
representation in the Indian (Central) Legislative The Act introduced a system of Communal
Council. Of the six new Legislative members of the Representation for Muslims by accepting the concept
Governor-General’s Council, four members were of a Separate Electorate. It was a system where seats
appointed by the local (provincial) governments of were reserved only for Muslims and only Muslims
Madras, Bombay, Bengal and Agra. would be polled.
It expanded Legislative Council at the Centre from 16
Indian Councils Act of 1861 to 69 members and Provincial Legislatures with 52 in
This Act initiated the process of decentralisation by Bengal, 47 in Madras, Bombay and United Province
restoring the legislative powers to the Bombay and each, 41 in East Bengal and Assam, 25 in Punjab and
the Madras Presidencies. It accorded statutory 16 in Burma.
recognition to the Portfolio System.
Election was introduced for Legislative Council at the
Governor-General’s Council was expanded by Centre based on the electoral college. It was the first
including a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 12 attempt to introduce a representative and popular
additional members. These non-official members element in Indian Administration.
were added only for legislative purposes.
At the Provincial level, the elected non-official
Additional members were to be nominated by the members were now in majority.
Governor-General for a period of 2 years.
This Act enlarged the function of the Legislative
Similar provisions were made for provincial Council such as the right to discussion, asking
Legislative Councils. The membership of each questions and supplementary questions, etc.
Provincial Legislature (Bombay, Bengal, Madras,
North-Western Frontier Province, Punjab) was
August Declaration of 1917
enhanced with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8
On 20th August, 1917, Montague presented the historic
additional members nominated for a period of 2
Montague Declaration (August Declaration) in the British
years. Parliament. This declaration proposed the increased
participation of Indians in the administration and the
Indian Councils Act of 1892
development of self-governing institutions in India.
This Act dealt with powers, functions and
compositions of the Legislative Council.
Government of India Act, 1919
Non-official members of Imperial Legislative
Council to be nominated not by Britishers but by This Act is also known as the Montague-Chelmsford
Bengal Chamber of Commerce and the Provincial Reforms as Montague was the Secretary of State for
Legislative Councils. India and Lord Chelmsford was the Viceroy of India
in 1919.
Increase in the number of additional members of
Central Council between 10 to 16 and increase in It was in favour of the declaration of British
additional non-official members in Provincial Government on 20th August, 1917. Its objective was
Council between 8 and 20. the gradual introduction of responsible government
in India.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
04
Features of the Act Government of India Act, 1935
This Act introduced the system of Dyarchy (a term The British Government came up with the
derived from the Greek word di-arche), which means Government of India Act of 1935, after series of
double rule, in the provinces. It was considered to be a efforts in the form of White Papers and Round
substantial step towards transfer of power to the Indians. Table Conferences.
The provincial subjects of administration were to be The Act was a significant step towards establishing
divided into two categories namely transferred and a completely responsible Government in India. It
reserved. was a lengthy document with 321 Sections and
— The transferred subjects were to be administered by 10 Schedules.
the Governor with the help of ministers responsible to
the Legislative Council. Features of the Act
— Whereas, the Governor and the Executive Council were This Act made a provision for the establishment of
to administer the reserved subjects without having any an All India Federation consisting of provinces
responsibility towards the Legislature. However, this and princely states as units.
experiment was largely unsuccessful. This Act divided the powers between the Centre
This Act set the Devolution Rules, by which subjects of and Units in terms of three lists
administration were divided into two categories namely, 1. Federal List (59 items)
Central and Provincial. 2. Provincial List (54 items)
Central category had subjects of all India importance 3. Concurrent List (36 items)
(like Railways and Finance), while matters relating to the Residuary powers were vested in the Viceroy.
administration of the provinces were classified as It provided for the adoption of dyarchy at the
Provincial. Centre. Therefore, the federal subjects were
It introduced bicameralism (Concept of two Houses) and divided into reserved subjects and transferred
direct elections in the country for the first time. subjects. Nonetheless, this provision of the Act did
Consequently, the Indian Legislative Council was not come into operation at all.
replaced by a bicameral legislature consisting of an This Act removed the Council of India (established
Upper House (Council of State) and a Lower House by the Government of India Act of 1858).
(Legislative Assembly). The majority of members of both
This Act led to the establishment of a Reserve Bank
the Houses were to be chosen by direct election.
of India and established a Federal Court in 1937.
The number of Indians in the Governor-General’s
This Act introduced Provincial Autonomy and
Executive Council was raised to three in a council of six
abolished dyarchy in the Provinces (introduced in
members (other than the Commander-in-Chief). The 1919).
Indian members were entrusted with departments such
as law, education, labour, health and industries. This Act introduced responsible governments in
Provinces. As per this arrangement, the Governor
Communal representation extended to Sikhs, was required to act with the advice of Ministers
Christians, Anglo-Indians, etc. responsible to the Provincial Legislature. This
It provided for a new office of the High Commissioner provision came into effect in 1937, though it was
for India in London and transferred to him some of the discontinued in 1939.
functions of the Secretary of State for India. This Act introduced bicameralism with a
It also provided for franchise for those who were Legislative Council (Upper House) and a
educated, paid tax and had property and granted Legislative Assembly (Lower House) in 6 out of 11
reservation to women on 41 seats in provincial Provinces.
legislature and limited reservation in Central legislature. It extended communal representation to the
It made provision for the establishment of a Public depressed classes, women and labour.
Service Commission, which came into being in 1926 for It extended franchise and about 10% of the total
the recruitment of civil servants. It separated Provincial population got the voting right.
budgets from the Central budget and Provincial
It provided for the establishment of Federal Public
legislatures were authorised to enact their budgets.
Service Commission, Provincial Public Service
It granted franchise to a limited number of people on the Commission and Joint Public Service Commission
basis of property, tax or education. for two or more Provinces.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
05
The proposed All India Federation did not materialise. The Act provided for the creation of two independent
It could not convince anyone; the Indian National dominions – India and Pakistan.
Congress, the Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha or It provided for the Partition of Punjab and Bengal
the princely states. Muslims opposed the majority rule. with separate Boundaries Commissions to
Princes opposed the forces of democracy and Congress demarcate the boundaries between them.
opposed federation by courtesy. Government of India Besides West Punjab and East Bengal, Pakistan was
Act of 1935 thus, remained a lost ideal. to consist of territories of Sind, North-Western
The Act of 1935 as a whole, however, was important. It Frontiers Provinces, Sylhet division of Assam,
not only acted as an Interim Constitution, but also Bhawalpur, Khairpur, Baluchistan and eight other
provided a basis for the Constitution of Free India. relatively minor Princely states in Baluchistan.
The Acts alongwith earlier constitutional reforms, gave By this Act, the sovereignty and responsibility of the
direction to the process of change as well as influenced British Crown over India were to lapse from the
its contents. ‘Appointed Day’ (the date India gets independence –
later decided as 15th August, 1947).
Cripps Mission, 1942 Under the Act, following provisions were made :
In 1942, Cripps Mission was sent to India under the — The post of Secretary of State was abolished and the
leadership of Sir Stafford Cripps. Some of the proposals Crown was longer the source of authority.
given by the Cripps Mission are given below : — The Governor-General and provincial Governors to
Dominion status would be given to India, after the act as Constitutional Heads.
Second World War. — Dominion status was given to India.
Once the Second World War ends, an elected body — Constituent Assembly was to function as the
would be set up in India for framing of Indian provisional Parliament of the dominion.
Constitution.
— The Constituent Assembly was to have unlimited
Even the Indian States would participate in the powers to frame any Constitution and to repeal any
Constitution-making body. Act of British Parliament including the Indian
Almost all the Parties and sections in India rejected the Independence Act.
proposals given by the Cripps Mission.
Interim Government (1946)
Cabinet Mission, 1946
Member Portfolios Held
The Indian States and British Provinces would combine
Pt Jawaharlal Nehru External Affairs and
to form the Union of India. Commonwealth Relations
A Constituent Assembly would be established Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Home, Information and
consisting of 389 members. Broadcasting
14 members from major political parties would form an Dr Rajendra Prasad Food and Agriculture
interim government. Dr John Mathai Industries and Supplies
A representative body would be formed named the Jagjivan Ram Labour
Constituent Assembly.
Sardar Baldev Singh Defence
Until the Constitution was framed, the Constituent
CH Bhabha Works, Mines and Power
Assembly would act as the Dominion Legislature.
Liaquat Ali Khan Finance
Until the Constitution was framed, India would be
administered as per the Government of India Act, 1935. Abdur Rab Nishtar Posts and Air
Asaf Ali Railways and Transport
Indian Independence Act of 1947 C Rajagopalachari Education and Arts
It was based on the famous Mountbatten Plan (3rd Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Commerce
June, 1947). The Act relieved the assent of the crown
Ghazanfar Ali Khan Health
on 18th July, 1947 and became effective on 15th
August, 1947. Joginder Nath Mandal Law
06
CHAPTER 02
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
Making of the
Indian Constitution
Sources Class-VII Old NCERT Chap 1 (How we Made our Constitution?), Class-VIII New NCERT Chap 1 (Indian Constitution),
Class-IX New NCERT Chap 2 (Making of the Constitution), Class-XI New NCERT Chap 1 (Constitution: Why and How?)
The Constitution also checks the power of the
Constitution government by providing a set of Fundamental Rights
The Constitution of a country is a set of written rules that that are inviolable under normal conditions. The
are accepted by all people living together in a country. government cannot take arbitrary and unreasonable
The Constitution is the supreme law that determines the decisions.
relationship among people citizens living in a territory Constitution also checks the majoritarianism in a
and also the relationship between the people and diverse society by providing special rights to the
government. minority groups.
It generates a degree of trust and coordination that is
Need of Constitution necessary for different kinds of people to live together.
The Constitution is needed due the following reasons: This ensures that minorities are not excluded from
The Constitution lays out certain ideals that form the mainstream society and have access to what is
basis of the kind of country in which citizens aspire available to the majority.
to live in. For example, the Indian Constitution lays Constitution also protects us from ourselves as often
down India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular and we might take certain decisions which are harmful to
democratic republic. us as well as to others. For example, the reasonable
The Constitution expresses the aspirations of the restriction imposed along with Fundamental Rights is
people about creating a good society. It provides a set to restrict us from taking any hasty decisions.
of rules that allow for smooth coordination between
diverse members of society. Historical Background of
The Constitution also defines the nature of a Indian Constitution
country’s political system. For example, Nepal’s Prior to the Constituent Assembly that convened in 1948
earlier Constitution stated that the country was to be to draft the Indian Constitution, the Fundamental Law
ruled by the King and his Council of Ministers. of India was mostly enshrined in statutes enacted by the
The Constitution specifies which organs have what British Parliament. Government of India Act of 1919
power so that there is no encroachment on each and Act of 1935, were prominent among them. In 1928,
other’s powers. Motilal Nehru and other Congress leaders drafted a
Constitution lays down rules that check any misuse Constitution for India.
of authority by any of the three organs of the In 1931, at the Karachi Session of the Indian National
government viz. Legislature, Executive and Congress, it was decided that Universal Adult
Judiciary. Franchise, the right to freedom and equality and
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE 07
protecting the rights of minorities will be included Parties represented in the Constituent Assembly were
in the Constitution of independent India. the Congress Party, which had a majority, Muslim
In 1934, Indian National Congress presented the League, Scheduled Caste Federation, the Indian
demand for the creation of an Indian Constituent Communist Party and the Union Party.
Assembly in front of the British Indian government. The Constituent Assembly met for the first time in
December 1946 and by November 1949 the draft
Development of the Indian Constitution was approved.
The Constitution came into effect in January, 1950 and
Constitution the Constituent Assembly was transformed into a
The Constituent Assembly developed Indian
Provisional Parliament.
Constitution in various phases as follows:
Framing of the New Constitution 1947-1950
Constituent Assembly The Constituent Assembly set up 13 committees for
In 1946, the British decided to examine the
framing the Constitution. On the basis of the reports of
possibility of granting independence to India. As a
these committees, a draft of the Constitution was
result, a British Cabinet Mission was despatched to
prepared by a seven-member Drafting Committee under
India to :
the Chairmanship of Dr BR Ambedkar.
— Hold discussions with the representatives of
The drafting Constitution was published in January 1948.
British India and the Indian States in order to
On 26th November, 1949, the Constitution of India was
agree on the framework for writing a
passed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly.
Constitution.
Finally, Constitution of India came into force on 26th
— Set up a constituent body and an executive
January, 1950.
council.
After this mission negotiations took place Important Committees of the Constituent
afterwards and a Constituent Assembly was Assembly and their Chairmen
indirectly elected by the provincial legislatures
Committee Chairman
comprising 278 representatives and 15 women by
the method of proportional representation with the Committee on the Rules of Procedure Rajendra Prasad
Single Transferable Vote. Steering Committee Rajendra Prasad
The Constituent Assembly came into force in 1946. Finance and Staff Committee Rajendra Prasad
Members of the Constituent Assembly included Credential Committee Alladi Krishnaswami
Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Ayyar
Patel, Maulana Azad and many more supreme House Committee B Pattabhi Sitaramayya
leaders of the country. On 9th December, 1946, the
Order of Business Committee KM Munsi
first meeting of the Constituent Assembly took
place. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was later appointed as Ad hoc Committee on the National Flag Rajendra Prasad
the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly. Committee on the Functions of the GV Mavalankar
Each Province and each Princely State or Group of Constituent Assembly
States were allotted seats proportional to their States Committee Jawaharlal Nehru
respective population. 292 members were elected Advisory Committee on Fundamental Vallabhbhai Patel
from (roughly in the ratio of 1:10,00,000). The Rights, Minorities and Tribal and
Provinces (that were under direct British rule) Excluded Areas
while the Princely States were allotted a minimum Minorities Sub-Committee HC Mookherjee
of 93 seats. Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee JB Kripalani
The Assembly consisted of 389 members North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Gopinath Bardoloi
representing provinces (292), states (93), the Chief Assam Excluded and Partially Excluded
Commissioner Provinces (3) and Baluchistan (1). Areas Sub-Committee
The strength of the Assembly was reduced to 299 Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas AV Thakkar
following the withdrawal of the Muslim League (Other than those in Assam)
members after the partition of the country. Sub-Committee
The seats in each Province were distributed among Union Powers Committee Jawaharlal Nehru
the three main communities, Muslims, Sikhs and Union Constitution Committee Jawaharlal Nehru
General, in proportion to their respective
Drafting Committee Dr BR Ambedkar
populations.
08 NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
Procedure Adopted in the The main ideals/principles outlined in the resolution
were:
Constituent Assembly
The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open Constituent Assembly declares India as an
and consensual manner. independent, sovereign, republic and to draw up for
her future governance a Constitution.
First, some basic principles were decided and agreed
India shall be the Union of States.
upon. Then a Drafting Committee prepared a draft
Constitution for discussion. Several rounds of thorough All powers and authority of India and Government
discussion took place on the Draft Constitution, clause are derived from the people.
by clause. People will get guarantee about Justice, Equality and
The members of the Assembly placed a great Liberty.
emphasis on discussion and reasoned argument. They Adequate safeguards shall be provided for
did not simply advance their own interests but gave minorities, backward and depressed.
principled reasons to other members for their positions. Whereby shall be maintained the integrity of the
The Constituent Assembly worked through the territory of the Republic.
mechanism of committees. The Constituent Assembly The state will contribute to the promotion of world
had eight major committees on different subjects. peace and the welfare of mankind.
Usually, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar
Patel and BR Ambedkar chaired these committees. Important Facts Related to Making of the
Each committee usually drafted particular provisions of Constitution
the Constitution, which were then subjected to debate
I The duration of the making of Indian Constitution
was 2 years, 11 months and 18 days (around three
by the entire Assembly. Usually, an attempt was made to
years).
reach a consensus with the belief that provisions agreed
I Every debate of Constituent Assembly is recorded and
to by all, would not be detrimental to any particular
preserved in 12 sections.
interests. I The task of Constitution-making was completed on
The Assembly met for one hundred and sixty-six days, 26th November, 1949 by the Constituent Assembly.
spread over two years, eleven months and 18 days. Its 284 members of the Constituent Assembly out of 299
sessions were open to the press and the public. finally signed the Constitution.
I Every year, 26 November is observed as Constitution
Drafting Committee Day in India since 2015.
I On 29th August, 1947, the Constituent Assembly set-up a
Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Timeline of Constituent Assembly
Dr BR Ambedkar to prepare a draft for the Constitution of
Session Duration
India. Thus, BR Ambedkar is rightly regarded as the
‘Father of the Constitution of India’. First Session 9-23 December, 1946
I While deliberating upon the Draft Constitution, the Second Session 20-25 January, 1947
Assembly moved, discussed and disposed of as many as
2473 amendments out of a total of 7653 tabled Third Session 28 April - 2 May, 1947
amendments.
Fourth Session 14-31 July, 1947
Objective Resolution adopted in the Constituent Fifth Session 14-30 August, 1947
Assembly Sixth Session 27 January, 1948
The Objectives Resolution, 1946 was introduced by Seventh Session 4th Nov,1948-8 Jan, 1949
Jawaharlal Nehru in the very first session of the Constituent
Assembly. Basically, these resolutions were the aspirations Eighth Session 16th May - 16 June, 1949
of people who were making the Constitution. Ninth Session 30th July - 18 Sep, 1949
Principles Outlined in the Objective Resolution Tenth Session 6-17 October, 1949
Indian Constitution has embodied the objectives expressed Eleventh Session 14-26 Nov, 1949
in this resolution.
[The Assembly met once again on 24th January, 1950, when
The ideals/principles embodied in the objectives resolution the members appended their signatures to the Constitution
are reflected in the Preamble to the Constitution. of India].
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE 09
Important Personalities of Constituent Assembly
Personalities Description I
He was born I
She was born
I
He was born (1887-1956) in Bengal. (1879-1949) in
(1884-1963) in Bihar. Hyderabad.
I
He was the
I
He was the President Vice-Chairman of the I
She was a
of the Constituent Constituent Assembly. proponent of civil
Assembly. I
He was a reputed rights, women’s
author and educationist emancipation and
I
He was a lawyer,
HC Mookherjee and Congress leader. anti-imperialists ideas.
known for his role in the
Champaran Satyagraha. I
He was also a member Sarojini Naidu
I
She is also known as
Rajendra Prasad
I
He was the President of the All India Christian ‘Nightingale of India’.
of Congress for the three Council and Bengal I
She was the India’s
times. Legislative Assembly. first women Governor.
I
Post-independence, he I
Post-independence, he I
She was born
was the first President of was the Governor of
(1909-1981) in Andhra
India. West Bengal.
Pradesh.
I
He was born I
He was born I
She was a member
(1875-1950) in Gujarat. (1901-1961) in Haryana. of the Constituent
I
He was Minister of I
He was a successful Assembly and the
Home, Information and entrepreneur and leader Planning Commission of
Broadcasting in the of the Panthic Akali Party India.
in the Punjab Assembly. Durgabai
Interim Government. I
She was awarded with
Deshmukh
I
He was a Lawyer and I
A nominee of the Padma Vibushan.
leader of Bardoli Peasant Congress in the
Vallabhbhai Constituent Assembly.
I
He was born
Satyagraha. Baldev Singh
Jhaverbhai Patel (1901-1953) in
I
He played a decisive I
Post-independence, he
Kolkata.
role in the integration of was the Defence Minister
in the Union Cabinet.
I
He served as the
the Indian princely
Minister for Industry and
states. I
He was born
Supply in Jawaharlal
I
Post-independence, he (1891-1956) in Madhya
Nehru’s Cabinet.
was the Deputy Prime Pradesh.
Minister. Shyama Prasad I
He founded the
I
He was the Chairman
Mukherjee Bharatiya Jana Sangh
He was born
I
of the Drafting Committee.
in 1951.
(1888-1958) in Saudi I
He was a social
Arabia. revolutionary thinker and I
He was born
agitator against caste (1901-1984) in West
He was an
I Bhimrao Ramji
divisions and Bengal.
educationist, author, Ambedkar
theologian. caste-based inequalities. I
He was the sole
I
He was the Law Communist member in
He was a scholar of
I
Minister in the first Constituent Assembly in
Arabic.
Abul Kalam Azad cabinet of 1946.
He was a Congress
I
post-independence
leader active in the
I
He was the editor
India. Somnath Lahiri of Swadhinata, a
National Movement. I
He was the founder of daily left using political
He also opposed
I
the Republican Party of magazine.
Muslim separatist India.
politics. I
He was born
Post-independence, he
I
I
He was born (1903-1970) in
was the Education Minister (1889-1964) in Uttar Jharkhand.
in the first Union Cabinet. Pradesh. I
He represented the
He was born
I
I
He was the Prime tribal people in
(1899-1974) in Tamil Minister of the Interim Constituent Assembly.
Nadu. Government. I
He was also the
He was a member of
I
I
He was a lawyer and captain of Indian
the Drafting Committee. Congress leader. Hockey team which
Jaipal Singh
He was an
I Jawaharlal Nehru I
He was an advocate of won gold medal in
entrepreneur and socialism, democracy, 1928 Summer
and anti-imperialism. Olympic at
TT Krishnamachari Congress leader.
Post- independence, he Amsterdam.
Post-independence, he
I
was the first Prime
was the Finance Minister Minister of India.
in the Union Cabinet.
CHAPTER
10 03
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
Indian Constitution :
Preamble and Its Features
Sources Class-VII Old NCERT Chap 2 (What our Ideals Are : The Preamble), Class-VII New NCERT Chap 3 (Chief Features of
Our Constitution), Class-VIII New NCERT Chap 1 (Indian Constitution), Class-IX & X Old NCERT Chap 4 (The Constitution
of India and its Salient Features), Class-XI Old NCERT Chap 3 (Preamble, Its Main Features and Indian Union)
It also enshrines the grand objectives and
Preamble of the Indian Constitution socio-economic goals, which are to be achieved
A Preamble is an introductory statement in a document through constitutional processes.
that explains the document’s aims and objectives. In a Through the Berubari case, the Court stated that
Constitution, Preamble presents the intention of its ‘Preamble is the key to open the mind of the
framers, the history behind its creation and the core makers’ but it cannot be considered as part of the
values and principles of the nation. Constitution. Therefore it is not enforceable in a
The Preamble is based on the Objectives Resolution, court of law.
which was drafted in the Constituent Assembly by In the 1995, for case of Union Government vs Life
Jawaharlal Nehru on 13th December, 1946 and adopted Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India, the Supreme
by Constituent Assembly on 22nd January, 1947. Court held that Preamble is an integral part of the
Preamble was drafted by the constitutional advisor of the Constitution but is not directly enforceable in a
Constituent Assembly, BN Rao. court of justice in India.
The Preamble has been amended only once by the 42nd
Constitutional Amendment, 1976.
Components of Preamble
Through this Amendment, the words socialist and The components of the Preamble of the Indian
secular were added between the words Sovereign and Constitution are :
democratic and the words ‘unity of the Nation’ were The Preamble shows that the people of India are the
changed to unity and integrity of the Nation. source of authority. It means power lies with the
American Constitution is the source of Preamble and its citizens to elect their representatives and they also
language is derived from Australian Constitution. have the right to criticise their representatives.
The words liberty, equality and fraternity in the It comprises the date of its adoption, which is 26th
Preamble are taken from French Constitution. November, 1949.
It states that the objectives of the Constitution of
Importance and Utility of the Preamble India, are justice, liberty, equality and fraternity
which is to maintain the integrity and unity of the
The Preamble of the Constitution contains ideas that the
nation as well as the citizens.
Constitution seeks to achieve. It does not grant any
power but it gives direction and purpose to the It also justifies the nature of the Indian State, which
Constitution. It outlines the objectives of the whole is sovereign, socialist, republic, secular and
Constitution. democratic.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
11
Keywords Used in the Preamble
We the People of India Sovereign
G
It indicates the ultimate sovereignty of the people of India. G
The term Sovereign means the independent power of the state.
G
Sovereignty means the independent authority of the State, not
G
In other words, a sovereign state is not subject to the control of
being subject to the control of any other State or external power. any other state or external power and that state has the power to
legislate on any subject.
Republic Socialist
G
The term Republic indicates that G
Socialism means ownership of
the head of the state is elected by productive forces by the
the people. government, so that they benefit
G
The tradition of hereditary rule people equally.
came to an end by the G
India has adopted Democratic
incorporation of this concept. THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA Socialism, which is different from
Communist Socialism.
PREAMBLE
Secular
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having
G
The term secular means that State Democratic
solemnly resolved to constitute India into a
does not recognise any religion and G
The term Democratic implies that
is neutral in matters of religion. It [SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR,
the Constitution of India has an
treats all religions equally. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC] and to secure established form of Constitution
G
Supreme Court in SR Bommai vs to all its citizens : that gets its authority from the will
Union of India (1994) held that of the people expressed in an
JUSTICE, social, economic and election.
secularism is the basic structure of
the Constitution. political; G
It indicates that the source of the
LIBERTY, of thought, expression, belief, power of the government vests in its
faith and worship; people.
Liberty
EQUALITY, of status and of opportunity G
A democratic government is a
G
The term Liberty means freedom government of the people, for the
and to promote among them all
for the people to choose their way people and by the people.
of life, have political views and FRATERNITY, assuring the dignity of the
behaviour in society. individual and the unity and integrity
G
It means no unreasonable of the Nation; Equality
restrictions can be imposed on the IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY G
The term Equality means no
citizens in terms of their thoughts, section of society has any special
this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949 do
feelings and views. But liberty does privileges and all the people have
not mean freedom to do anything, a HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO been given equal opportunities for
person can do anything but within OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION. everything without any
the limit set by the law. discrimination.
G
Anything, which can create public G
It means removing all types of
disorder cannot come under discrimination from society to build
liberty. These limits are set by the a healthy environment for the
Constitution to avoid injuries in the people to live in. Everyone is equal
name of liberty. before the law.
Justice Fraternity
G
Justice among the citizens is necessary to maintain order in society. The term ‘Justice’ G
The term Fraternity means a feeling of
comprises of three elements that complete the definition, which are social, economic and brotherhood and an emotional
political. attachment with the country and all the
— Social Justice It means that the Constitution wants to create a society without people.
discrimination on any grounds like caste, creed, gender, religion, etc. G
It refers to a feeling, which helps to
— Economic Justice It means no discrimination can be caused by people on the basis of believe everyone is the children of the
their wealth, income, and economic status. It means wealth must be distributed on the same soil and connected with each
basis of their work, not with any other reason. Every person must be paid equally for an other. Brotherhood is above social
equal position and all people must get opportunities to earn for their living. norms or regulations, it is the
— Political Justice It means that all citizens should have equal political rights, equal access relationship above caste, age, or
to all political offices and equal voice in the government. gender.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
12
Constituent Assembly took the best of features
Salient Features of the from everywhere and made them its own. Our
Indian Constitution Constitution has features taken from the
The important salient features of the Indian Constitution are : Government of India Act, 1935.
Those features are Federal Scheme, Office of the
World’s Longest Written Constitution Governor, Judiciary, Public Service Commissions,
The Indian Constitution contains 465 articles, 25 parts and Emergency provisions, Administrative details.
12 schedules. Hence, it is world’s longest Constitution.
Borrowed Features of Indian Constitution
It is a comprehensive, elaborate and detailed document.
The factors that have contributed to this phenomenon are Countries Borrowed Features
geographical factors (the vastness of country and Australia Concurrent list, Freedom of trade,
diversity), historical factors (influence of GoI, 1935), a commerce and intercourse, Joint-sitting of
single Constitution for both centre and state and the two Houses of Parliament.
dominance of legal luminaries. Canada Federation with a strong Centre, Vesting of
residuary powers in the Centre,
Parliamentary Democracy Appointment of state governors by the
Our Parliament has adopted a parliamentary system of Centre Advisory, jurisdiction of the
Supreme Court.
democracy. Constituent Assembly decided to espouse a
parliamentary form of government both for the Centre and Ireland Directive Principles of State Policy,
the states. Nomination of members to Rajya Sabha,
Method of election of the President.
In the Indian parliamentary system, a distinction is made
between the nominal and real executive heads. Japan Procedure established by law.
The Council of Ministers is responsible before the Lok Soviet Union Fundamental Duties, Ideals of justice
Sabha, the Lower House of Union Parliament. There are (USSR) (social, economic and political).
close relations between the executive and the legislature. The UK Parliamentary government Rule of Law,
Executive functions are exercised by members of the Legislative procedure, Single citizenship
Parliament appointed by the Prime Minister to the cabinet. Cabinet system, Prerogative writs
Parliamentary privileges, Bicameralism.
The parties in the minority serve in opposition to the
majority and have the duty to challenge it regularly. Prime US Fundamental Rights, Independence of
Minister may be removed from power whenever they lose judiciary, Judicial review Impeachment of
the President, Removal of Supreme Court
the confidence of a majority of the ruling party or of the and High Court judges, Post of
Parliament. Vice-President.
Fundamental Rights Germany Suspension of Fundamental Rights during
(Weimar) emergency.
The Constitution of India grants and guarantees
Fundamental Rights to its citizens. The Constitution of South Africa Procedure for Amendment in the Indian
India confirms the basic principle that every individual is Constitution, Election of members of Rajya
Sabha.
permitted to enjoy certain basic rights and part III of the
Constitution deals with those rights, which are known as a The France Republic Ideals of liberty, equality and
Fundamental Right. fraternity in the Preamble.
The six Fundamental Rights include Right to Equality;
Right to Freedom; Right Against Exploitation; Right to Fundamental Duties
Freedom of Religion; Cultural and Educational Rights and The Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976,
Right to Constitutional Remedies (Art. 32). chapter IV-A introduced a code of ten
The Fundamental Rights are justiciable and are not ‘Fundamental Duties’ for citizens.
absolute. Reasonable constraints can be imposed keeping The Fundamental Duties are indeed to serve as a
in view the security requirements of the state. constant reminder to every citizen that while the
Constitution has specifically conferred on them
Drawn from Various Sources certain Fundamental Rights, it also requires the
Indian Constitution has absorbed those features from other citizens to observe certain basic norms of
nations Constitutions that suited Indian problems and democratic conduct and democratic behaviour.
aspirations.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
13
Directive Principles of State Policy Each of these three organs has different powers as
per the Constitution of India, this is done to ensure
A unique aspect of the Constitution is that it comprises
that there is no misuse of power and balance of
a chapter in the Directive Principles of State Policy.
power is maintained.
These principles are in the nature of directives to the
The executive is a smaller group of people who are
government to implement them to maintain social and
responsible for running the government and
economic democracy in the country.
implementing the laws. Our elected representatives
Federation with a Strong Centralising Tendency are known as the Legislature and the System of
The Indian Constitution includes all the federal courts is known as the Judiciary.
characteristics of governance such as Dual Government
Balance between the Sovereignty of
System (centre and state), division of powers between
the three state organs (executive, judiciary and Parliament and Judicial Supremacy
legislature), constitutional supremacy, independent A fine balance has been struck between
judiciary and bicameralism (lower and upper house). parliamentary sovereignty and judicial supremacy
by the Indian Constitution.
Integrated Judicial system
The Supreme Court is vested by Articles 13, 32 and
The Constitution provides for a single integrated 136 with the power of judicial review. By its power
judicial system common for the Union and the states. of judicial review, it can strike down any
The Supreme Court of India works at the apex level, parliamentary law as unconstitutional.
High courts at the state level and other courts work On the other hand, the Parliament, being the
under the High courts. representative of the people’s will, has the authority
Independent Judiciary to make laws and it can also amend the major part of
the Constitution through its powers under Article 368.
It is necessary to secure the philosophical foundations
of the rule of law and democracy. Firstly, the Single Constitution
Constitution makers created a separate Judiciary There are no separate Constitutions for the States.
independent of legislature and executive.
In a true Federation, there are separate Constitutions
Secondly, the Constitution has ensured the complete for the Union and the States.
independence of the Judiciary in matters of
administration and finances. Centre’s Control over States
A Mixture of Rigidity with Flexibility The States have to respect the laws made by the
Central Government and cannot make any law on
The Indian Constitution strikes a fine balance between
matters on, which there is already a central law.
rigidity and flexibility when it comes to ease of
modification. Article 368 lays down two types of Rajya Sabha does not represent the State’s equality.
modifications. In a true Federation, the upper house of the
Legislature has equal representation from the
Some provisions may be amended by a special
constituting units of the States.
parliamentary majority, i.e. a 2/3rd majority of the
members of each House present and vote and the majority Adult Suffrage
(i.e. more than 50 %) of each House’s total membership.
Under the Indian Constitution, every person who is
Some other provisions can be amended by a special a citizen of India and who has attained the age of 18
parliamentary majority and with half of the total states years is entitled to vote in Parliamentary and State
ratifying them. This ensures that with the widest Legislature Assembly elections for electing
possible majority, the Constitution is amended. representatives.
At the same time, in the manner of the ordinary There is no discrimination in this respect on
legislative process, certain provisions of the grounds of sex, caste, religion, property, etc.
Constitution can be amended by a simple majority of
Parliament. Such Amendments are not within the scope Single Citizenship
of Article 368. Though the Constitution of India is federal and
Separation of Power provides for dual polity, i.e., Centre and States, it
provides for single citizenship for the whole of
There are three organs of the Government viz. India. The American Constitution provides for dual
Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, as per the citizenship, i.e., the citizenship of America and State
Constitution of India. citizenship.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
14
On the other hand, there is only one citizenship in The President can declare three types of emergencies
India, i.e., the citizenship of India. There is no State — National(Article 352), State (Article 356) and
citizenship. Every Indian is a citizen of India and Financial (Article 360) emergency in a state.
enjoys the same rights of citizenship no matter in
what state he resides. Three-tier Government
Through 73rd and 74th Amendment Act, we have rural
Judicial Review and urban local bodies as an additional constitutional
The concept of judicial review is an essential feature tier of the government structure.
of the Constitution that helps the Constitution to This section fulfills the dream of Gandhiji to see a
work properly. self-functioning village in India.
The judiciary is considered to be the guardian of the
Constitution, thus it is the duty of the judiciary to Independent Bodies
check the actions that are violative of various articles Constitution has set up various independent bodies and
in the Constitution. vested them with powers to ensure the constitutional
The actions of various organs of the government like provisions. These are :
the Executive and Legislature can be questioned by Election Commission The Election Commission of
the judiciary using judicial review. India is an autonomous constitutional authority
responsible for administering Union and State election
Basic Structure Doctrine processes in India.
The basic structure doctrine is an Indian judicial The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya
norm that the Constitution of India has certain basic Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies in India and the
features that cannot be changed or destroyed through offices of the President and Vice-President in the country.
amendments by the Parliament.
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) It is a
The basic features of the Constitution have not been constitutional functionary, independent of
openly defined by the Judiciary. Parliament/legislature and executives.
At least, 20 features have been described as ‘basic’ or The CAG is responsible for Audit of Ministries and
‘essential’ by the courts in numerous cases and have departments of Government of India and the State
been incorporated in the basic structure. governments.
In Indira Gandhi vs Raj Narayan case and also in the UPSC and SPSC The Constitution of India has made
Minerva Mills case, it was witnessed that the claim of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and State
any particular feature of the Constitution to be a Public Service Commission (SPSC), advisory
‘basic’ feature would be determined by the court in institutions that provide advice on the subject sent to it
each case that comes before it. by the President of India or by the Governors of the
State respectively. UPSC is the central recruitment
Amendability of the Constitution
agency in India and SPSC is the state recruitment
An Amendment of the Constitution can be initiated agency.
only by the introduction of a bill for the purpose in
These institutions have been provided with security of
either House of Parliament and not in the state
tenure, fixed service conditions, etc to ensure that they
legislatures.
are not susceptible to the whims of either the legislature
The bill can be introduced either by a minister or by or the executive.
a private member and does not require prior
permission from the President. There are three ways
in, which the Constitution can be amended: Unitary Feature of Indian Constitution
— Amendment by a simple majority of the Parliament. I India is a federal government but it more emphasis
towards a unitary system of government. It is sometimes
— Amendment by a special majority of the Parliament.
considered a quasi-federal system as it has features of
— Amendment by a special majority of the Parliament both a federal and a unitary system.
and the ratification of at least half of the state I Article 1 of the Indian Constitution states, “India, that
legislatures. is Bharat, shall be a union of states.” The word
‘Federation’ is not mentioned in the Constitution.
Emergency Provisions I The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution contains three
Indian Constitution contains elaborate provisions to lists of subjects. These subjects show how the division of
deal with those challenges that pose a threat to the power is made between the two sets of government.
country’s security and unity.
CHAPTER
INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
NCERT Notes
04 15
Indian Federation and
Reorganisation of States
Sources Class-IX & X Old NCERT Chap 1 (Our Government in States), Class-X New NCERT Chap 2 (Federalism), Class-XI New NCERT
Chap 7 (Federalism), Class-XII New NCERT Chap 8 (Regional Aspirations), Class-XII New NCERT Chap 1 (Challenges of
National Building), Class-XII Old NCERT Chap 14 (Regional Imbalances : Regionalism, Linguism and Separatism)
Federalism Indian Federalism
Federalism is a system of government, in which Indian Constitution has declared India to be a Union of
the power is divided between a central States. The Constitution of India has adopted federal features
authority and various constituent units of the but it does not claim that it establishes a federation.
country. In the Indian Constitution, the word federation is not
Usually, a federation has two levels of mentioned with regard to the nature of Indian polity.
government. One is the government for the Article 1 of the Constitution describes India as a ‘Union of
entire country that is usually responsible for a States’, which implies two things: firstly, it is not the result
few subjects of common national interest. of an agreement among the states and secondly, the states
The others are governments at the level of have no freedom to secede or separate from the Union.
provinces or states that look after much of the Besides, the constitution of the Union and the states is a
day-to-day administering of their state. Both single framework within which they must function. The
these levels of government enjoy their power federation is a union because it is indestructible and helps to
independently. maintain the unity of the country.
There are two kinds of routes through which Nature of Indian Federalism
federations have been formed :
Indian model of federalism is called a quasi-federal system as it
— The first route involves independent states
contains major features of both a federation and Union as
coming together on their own to form a bigger
follows:
unit so that by pooling sovereignty and
retaining identity they can increase their Flexibility of the Constitution The Constitution is a blend of
security. This type of coming together flexibility and rigidity. Certain provisions of the Constitution
federation includes the USA, Switzerland and can be easily amended. In case the amendments seek to
change aspects of federalism in India, the provision to bring
Australia.
about such amendments is not easy.
— The second route is where a large country
Unequal Representation of states in the Rajya Sabha The
decides to divide its power between the
representation of the states in the Upper House is based on
constituent states and the national
the state’s population. For example, Uttar Pradesh has 31
government. India, Spain and Belgium are
seats and Goa has 1 in the Rajya Sabha. In an ideal federal
examples of this kind of holding together
system, all the states should have equal representation.
federations.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
16
Governor’s Appointment The Governor of a state Post-Independence Consolidation of India
acts as the centre’s representative in the state as
central government appoints the Governor not the British India had two types of territories Provinces,
state government. governed directly by British officials who were
responsible to the Governor-General of India.
All India Services Through the All India Services
such as the Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Princely states under the control of local hereditary
Indian Police Services (IPS), etc., the centre rulers having British Government as the sovereign but
interferes in the executive powers of the states. enjoying autonomy based on the treaty.
These services also offer uniformity in When India gained independence on 15th August, 1947,
administration throughout the nation. the British Government dissolved their treaty relations
with the over 600 princely states, who had the option of
More Power Vests with the Centre The
acceding to either India or Pakistan.
Constitution guarantees more powers with the
Union List. On the Concurrent List of subjects, the Most of the princely states joined India either
Parliament can make laws that can override the voluntarily or by armed intervention.
laws made by a State legislature on some matters.
The Parliament can also make laws regarding Integration of Princely States
certain subjects in the State List. India’s first Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel played a key role in the integration of the princely
Conflicts in India’s Federal System states.
Federalism is the most relevant factor of modern Accession of the Princely states of Junagadh, Hyderabad,
constitutionalism. The core objectives of Indian Kashmir and Manipur proved more difficult than the
federalism are unity in diversity, devolution in rest of the princely states.
authority and decentralisation in administration.
Some of the conflicts in the smooth working of Indian
Junagadh
federalism are as follows : It was a small state on the coast of Saurashtra
surrounded by Indian Territory without any
Regional Assertion vs Central Dominance Indian
geographical adjacency with Pakistan.
federalism has a bias for the central government.
That’s why states have also sought to assert their It’s Nawab Mahabat Khan who announced the
interests and influence over the years, whether in accession of his state to Pakistan on 15th August, 1947,
times of one-party dominance or multi-party even though the majority of the people, overwhelmingly
coalition politics. The pluralist character of India Hindu, desired to join India.
gives rise to many factors including regionalism. Indian troops marched into the state. Later, voting was
Absence of Fiscal Federalism Asymmetrical held in the state in February 1948, which favoured
sharing of revenue and resource crunch at the joining India.
periphery results in uneven development across the Hyderabad
country. The current Goods and Services Tax (GST)
The Nawab of Hyderabad succeeded in mobilising a
measure is feared by many states to be against fiscal
group of orthodox Muslims called as Ittehadul Muslimeen
federalism in India.
and a militia called Razakars.
Creation of Linguistic States Union government
They challenged the idea of India and hence, finally a
has the authority to make, unmake and remake state
police action was taken by the Government of India in
boundaries. The push for regionalisation from
1948 leading to the surrender of Hyderabad on 17th
various language groups and tribal communities
September of that year. The Nawab agreed to accede
compelled the Centre to adopt a formalised
Hyderabad to India.
arrangement of reorganising the federating states in
India. Kashmir
Centralised Planning Although economic and It was neither a part of India nor Pakistan at the time of
social planning is found in the Concurrent List of independence. When on 22nd October, 1947, a section of
the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, the Union Pakistanis backed by their army attacked Kashmir, the
Government has authority over national and King of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh requested to help
regional planning in India. Centralised planning, from the Indian Government.
through the Planning Commission, now NITI
After the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession,
(National Institute for Transforming India) Aayog
the Indian Army was sent to help Kashmir.
appointed by the Centre.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
17
Sikkim Fazl Ali Commission
Till 1947, Sikkim was an Indian Princely state ruled by Jawaharlal Nehru appointed a new commission
the chogyals. In 1947, after the Lapse of British under Fazl Ali in 1953 to consider these new
Paramountey, Sikkim became a ‘Protectorate’ of India. demands.
Sikkim became an integral part of India in 1975. The The commission submitted its full report in 1955 and
36th constitutional amendment act was enacted to made a suggestion for the reorganisation of the whole
make Sikkim a full-fleged state of Indian Union. country into 16 states and three centrally
administered areas.
Manipur
However, the government did not agree with the
Ruler of Manipur Estate, Bodhchandra Singh signed recommendations entirely and divided the country
an agreement prior to independence with the into 14 states and 6 Union territories bypassing the
Government of India to become a part of Indian Union. States Reorganisation Act in 1956.
In 1948, Legislative Assembly elections were held
under the pressure of public. Shah Commission
After that Indian government pressurised the Emperor On the recommendation of the Shah Commission
of Manipur to become a part of India and as a result report the Punjab Reorganisation Act was passed in
Manipur finally merged in India. 1966 by the Parliament and the State of Haryana was
formed.
State’s Reorganisation Chandigarh was made a Union territory with a
common capital of Punjab and Haryana.
The boundaries of provinces in pre-1947, India had been
drawn in a haphazard manner as the British conquest Creation of New States :
of India had proceeded for nearly a hundred years.
No heed was paid to linguistic and cultural cohesion so
Constitutional Provision
that most of the provinces were multilingual and Indian Constitution empowers the Union Government
multicultural. to create new states out of existing states or two
merge one state with another.
After, the accession of the Princely States and British
Provinces, the states were grouped on the basis of This process is called the reorganisation of the states.
historical and political considerations rather than on The basis of reorganisation could be linguistic,
cultural or linguistic divisions. However, this was just a religious, ethnic or administrative.
temporary arrangement. Constitutional provisions for the creation of new
At this juncture, there was a need for the states are :
reorganisation of states on a permanent basis. Hence, Article 2
various committee and commission are formed.
Parliament may by law admit into the Union, or
Prominent ones among these are:
establish, new States on such terms and conditions as
Dhar Commission it thinks fit.
Due to the growing demand of reorganisation of states There are two powers given to Parliament by Article
on a linguistic basis, a commission was appointed in 2, namely:
the Chairmanship of SK Dhar in 1948. (i) The power to admit new States into the Union and
The commission preferred reorganisation of states on (ii) The power to establish new States.
the basis of administrative convenience including Article 3
historical and geographical considerations instead of Formation of new States and alteration of areas,
linguistic lines. boundaries or names of existing States Parliament
JVP Committee may by law:
— Form a new State by separation of territory from
The JVP Committee was constituted in 1948 and
consisted of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and any State or by uniting two or more States or parts
Pattabhi Sitaramayya. of States or by uniting any territory to a part of any
State;
The Committee submitted its report on April, 1949 and
— Increase the area of any State
rejected the idea of the reorganisation of states on a
linguistic basis. However, it said that the issue might — Diminish the area of any State
be looked with a fresh perspective in the light of public — Alter the boundaries of any State
demand. — Alter the name of any State
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
18
Creation of Constitutional Units Part-D States
The Constitution of India came into force on 26th The extremely backward Andaman and the Nicobar
January, 1950. It made India a sovereign democratic Islands were constituted as a Part-D State.
republic. The Republic of India was declared to be a Part-D state of Andaman and Nicobar would be governed
Union of States under the new Constitution. by the President of India through a Chief Commissioner.
The Constitution of India divided the states into
four parts – Part-A, Part-B, Part-C and Part-D.
Formation of Andhra Pradesh on
Part-A States Linguistic Basis
There were a total of nine states under Part-A.
I The Government of India, in 1953 was forced to create the
first linguistic state, the state of Andhra, by separating the
These states were the former Governor provinces of
16-Telugu speaking districts of Madras state, comprising
British India. These states were to be administered
of the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema Regions.
by an elected Governor and a state legislature. I Andhra was created after the long drawn agitation and
They were organised by incorporating smaller death of Potti Sriramulu, after a 56-day hunger strike for
states into contiguous provinces. For example, the cause.
Gujarat and the Deccan were incorporated into
Bombay.
Part-A states are Bombay, West Bengal, Uttar
Formation of Union Territories
Pradesh (former United Province), Madhya Pradesh After the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, Part-C and
(former central province), Punjab, Orissa, Madras, Part-D states were combined into a single category of
Assam and Bihar. ‘Union Territory’.
The concept of the UT was added by the Constitution
Part-B States
(Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956. Union Territories (UTs)
There were a total of eight Part-B states. Part-B are the federal territories and are administered by the
States included the major princely states that joined Union Government of India. In the Union Territories,
India. Lieutenant Governors are appointed by the President of
The executive heads of the Part-B states were India who serves as their administrators.
designated as Raj Pramukhs. They would be ruled Puducherry, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi were granted
like the Part-A States with Legislatures and partial statehood, that’s why they are the exception in this
Councils of Ministers. regard. They have an elected legislature and government.
The Raj Pramukhs, who were mainly former
The description of the formation of Union Territories is as
princes, were appointed by the President of India.
follows :
Part-B states are Mysore, Hyderabad, Jammu and
Delhi was earlier a State. On 27th March, 1952, the first
Kashmir, Rajasthan, Travancore-Cochin,
Delhi Legislative Assembly elections were held on 48
Saurashtra, Patiala and East Punjab States Union
seats. Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav was the first CM
(PEPSU) and Madhya Bharat (a new state, formed
of Delhi. However, after the State Reorganisation Act of
by integrating Indore, Gwalior and the other Central
1956, Delhi lost its Statehood and became a Union
Indian States).
Territory. In 1991, Partial Statehood status was granted
Part-C States to the Union Territory of Delhi and it came to be known
as the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
There were a total of ten Part-C states. The smaller
princely states that joined India were merged and In 1954, Puducherry was merged into the Republic of
constituted as the Part-C States along with some of India after attaining independence from French Rule and
the old Chief Commissioner’s Provinces. became the Union Territory of Puducherry. In 1963,
Puducherry was granted the status of Partial Statehood.
The executive head of a Part-C State would be either
a Chief Commissioner or a Lieutenant-Governor. Chandigarh became a Union Territory in 1956.
Parliament could create legislatures and Councils of Lakshwadeep became a Union Territory in 1956.
Advisors/Ministers in such states. In 1961, Daman and Diu and Goa were merged into the
Part-C states are Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Kutch, Republic of India, after attaining independence from
Ajmer, Bilaspur, Vindhya Pradesh, Bhopal, Tripura, Portuguese Rule. In 1987, Goa was granted the status of
Manipur and Coorg. Statehood and became the first Union Territory to
receive such status.
NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
19
In 2019, Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 was passed by the Indian Parliament and it reconstituted
the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories- UT of Jammu and Kashmir and UT of Ladakh.
In 2020, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were merged into a single Union Territory known as Dadra
and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a Union Territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of, which 38 are inhabited,
at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
Timeline- Creation of New States and Union Territories in India
Nagaland I It was carved out from the state of Assam by the State of Nagaland Act, 1952.
Andhra Pradesh I It was created by the Andhra State Act, (1953) by carving out some areas from the State of Madras.
I Kurnool was the capital and High Court was established at Guntur.
Kerala I It was created by the State Reorganisation Act, 1956.
I It comprised Travancore and Cochin areas.
Gujarat and I The state of Mumbai was divided into two states i.e. Maharashtra and Gujarat by the Mumbai (Reorganisation)
Maharashtra Act, 1960.
Haryana I It was carved out from the state of Punjab by the Punjab (Reorganisation) Act, 1966.
Meghalaya, Manipur I These were first carved out as a ‘sub-State’ or ‘autonomous state’ within the State of Assam by 22nd
and Tripura Constitutional Amendment Act, 1969. Later in 1971, they received the status of a full-fledged State by the
North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.
I These States were elevated from the status of Union Territories by the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act,
1971.
I
The two Union Territories of Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh (originally known as North-East Frontier
Agency—NEFA), came into being.
Himachal Pradesh I
The Union Territory of Himachal Pradesh was elevated to the status of state by the State of Himachal Pradesh
Act, 1970.
Karnataka I
It was created from the Princely State of Mysore by the State Reorganisation Act,1956.
I
It was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
Sikkim I
Sikkim was first given the Status of Associate State by the 35th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1974 while it was
under the rule of ‘Chogyal’.
I
It got the status of a full-fledged state in 1975 by the 36th Amendment Act, 1975.
Mizoram I
It was elevated to the status of a full-fledged state by the State of Mizoram Act,1986.
Arunachal Pradesh I
It received the status of a full-fledged state by the State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986.
Goa I
Goa was separated from the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu. It was made a full-fledged state by the Goa,
Daman and Diu Reorganisation Act, 1987.
I
But Daman and Diu remained as Union Territory.
Chhattisgarh I
It was formed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing Madhya Pradesh on 1st November, 2000.
I
Uttarakhand was formed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing Uttar Pradesh on 9th
November, 2000.
Jharkhand I
It was formed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing Bihar on 15th November, 2000.
Telangana I
On 2nd June, 2014, Telangana was created after bifurcation it from erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
CHAPTER
20 05 NCERT Notes INDIAN POLITY & GOVERNANCE
Citizenship
Sources Class-VII Old NCERT Chap 11 (Citizenship), Class-IX & X Old NCERT Chap 3 (Society and Citizens),
Class-XI New NCERT Chap 6 (Citizenship)
Meaning of Citizenship Components of Citizenship
Citizenship is one of the most commonly used term Citizenship refers to the rights and duties of the
in a democracy. It is used at all levels of politics; in members of a nation-state.
formal legal documents, in laws, in Constitution, in Citizenship has three components civil, political and
party manifestoes and in speeches. social.
The most widely accepted definition of citizenship — Civil citizenship for individual freedoms and are
is full and equal membership in a political institutionalised in the law courts.
community. — Political citizenship guarantees the right to participate
This definition was given by the English Sociologist in the exercise of political power in the community,
TH Marshall in his work Citizenship and Social either by voting or by holding political office.
Class written in 1949.
— Social citizenship is the right to participate in an
The philosophical roots of this definition can be appropriate standard of living, this right is embodied in
traced to the Greek and Roman conceptions of man the welfare and educational systems of modern
as a political being and citizenship as the capacity societies.
to govern and to be governed.
Provisions for Citizenship
Meaning of Citizen
As per our Constitution, the following four categories of
A citizen is a legally recognised subject or national persons became the citizen of India at its commencement:
of a state or commonwealth.
Persons Domiciled in India (Article 5) A person who
A citizen is a member of a society, community,
had his domicile in India alongwith fulfilled anyone of
(originally a city or town but now usually a country)
the three conditions :
and carries with it rights to political participation,
(a) If he was born in India.
such membership is called citizenship.
(b) If either of his parents was born in India.
A citizen is not anyone who lives in a nation-state.
(c) If he has been ordinarily resident in India for not less
Among those who live in a nation-state, these are
citizens and aliens. A citizen is not just an than 5 years immediately before the commencement of
inhabitant. the Constitution.
All governments demand certain duties from the Persons Migrated from Pakistan (Article 6) A person
citizens. But, in return, the state must also admit who migrated to India from Pakistan, if he or either of
some demands of the citizens on itself. These are his parents or his grandparents was born in undivided
called rights. India alongwith fulfilled anyone of the two conditions
(a) if he migrated to India before 19th July, 1948, he had
A citizen must have political rights. A person who is
been ordinarily resident in India, since the date of his
ruled by laws but who has no political rights is not
a citizen. migration.
You might also like
- Know Your State Uttar Pradesh - Arihant ExpertsNo ratings yetKnow Your State Uttar Pradesh - Arihant Experts399 pages
- Arihant NCERT Notes Indian History Class 6-12 - Janmejay93% (15)Arihant NCERT Notes Indian History Class 6-12 - Janmejay286 pages
- Arihant NCERT Notes India & World Geography - Nihit Kishore89% (19)Arihant NCERT Notes India & World Geography - Nihit Kishore369 pages
- Demo 30 Arihant NCERT Notes Indian History Class 6-12 - JanmejayNo ratings yetDemo 30 Arihant NCERT Notes Indian History Class 6-12 - Janmejay30 pages
- Disha 10000 Objective MCQs General Studies100% (3)Disha 10000 Objective MCQs General Studies605 pages
- ENTIRE POLITY THROUGH MINDMAPS - Indiathinkers100% (6)ENTIRE POLITY THROUGH MINDMAPS - Indiathinkers100 pages
- Polity Handwritten Notes Chapter 1 To 91 PDF100% (3)Polity Handwritten Notes Chapter 1 To 91 PDF181 pages
- Arihant NCERT Notes Indian Polity & Governance Vaibhav Anand Bhardwaj75% (8)Arihant NCERT Notes Indian Polity & Governance Vaibhav Anand Bhardwaj178 pages
- Demo 50 (ENG) Arihant Encyclopedia of General Science - Siddharth Mukherji100% (1)Demo 50 (ENG) Arihant Encyclopedia of General Science - Siddharth Mukherji50 pages
- Quick Indian Polity For Competi - Disha Experts100% (1)Quick Indian Polity For Competi - Disha Experts80 pages
- Smart Notes On Indian Modern History by SN100% (8)Smart Notes On Indian Modern History by SN83 pages
- 2 Ghatnachakra GS Drishti Polity Chitratmak75% (4)2 Ghatnachakra GS Drishti Polity Chitratmak69 pages
- VisionIAS Quick Revision Material December 2024 Polity100% (2)VisionIAS Quick Revision Material December 2024 Polity266 pages
- The Polity Compendium - Disha Publication PDF100% (1)The Polity Compendium - Disha Publication PDF220 pages
- Indian Geography Part 1 Sunya Prelims2024Notes KING R QUEEN PNo ratings yetIndian Geography Part 1 Sunya Prelims2024Notes KING R QUEEN P82 pages
- Polity & History (Infographic Charts Mindmaps)100% (1)Polity & History (Infographic Charts Mindmaps)98 pages
- Key Terms - Ancient, Medieval & Modern History100% (1)Key Terms - Ancient, Medieval & Modern History28 pages
- Magbook Indian Polity & Governance-Arihant100% (5)Magbook Indian Polity & Governance-Arihant241 pages
- Indian Polity Mindmaps (Coloured) by GRAJPUT91% (11)Indian Polity Mindmaps (Coloured) by GRAJPUT76 pages
- Rigi File 5ZTOqDVWSpArihant NCERT Notes Indian Economy Class Notes86% (7)Rigi File 5ZTOqDVWSpArihant NCERT Notes Indian Economy Class Notes97 pages
- 8 Magbook Indian History 2020 Experts Arihant93% (14)8 Magbook Indian History 2020 Experts Arihant257 pages
- 9 Magbook Indian Polity Governa Experts Arihant89% (9)9 Magbook Indian Polity Governa Experts Arihant241 pages
- Ancient & Medieval Indian HISTORY - QRM - Compressed100% (2)Ancient & Medieval Indian HISTORY - QRM - Compressed52 pages
- Magbook India & World Geography - Vivek Sharma89% (9)Magbook India & World Geography - Vivek Sharma287 pages
- Spyware Clear Present Danger Compworld WPNo ratings yetSpyware Clear Present Danger Compworld WP10 pages
- Quiz Time History: Improving knowledge of History while being entertainedFrom EverandQuiz Time History: Improving knowledge of History while being entertained5/5 (1)
