Quick Revision Notes

Class 11 Political Science

Chapter: Constitution: Why and How?

1. What is a Constitution? (संविधान क्या है?)

• Definition: A Constitution is a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.
• It is the supreme law of the country that determines the relationship among citizens and between the citizens and the government.

2. Why Do We Need a Constitution? (हमें संविधान की आवश्यकता क्यों है?)

A Constitution serves several crucial functions in a democratic society:

1. Coordination and Assurance: It provides a set of basic rules that allow for minimal coordination amongst members of a society.
2. Specification of Decision-Making Powers: It specifies who has the power to make decisions in a society and decides how the government will be constituted.
3. Limitations on Government Power: It sets limits on what a government can impose on its citizens. These limits are fundamental in that the government may never trespass them.
4. Aspirations of a Society: It enables the government to fulfill the aspirations of a society and create a condition for a just society.
5. Fundamental Identity: It expresses the fundamental identity of a people. A nation consists of various types of people; a constitution gives them a collective, political identity.

3. The Authority of a Constitution (संविधान का प्राधिकार)

In many countries, constitutions remain defunct on paper because they were written by military dictators or leaders who lacked public support. The Indian Constitution, however, derives its authority from several factors:

• Promulgated by the People: It was framed by the Constituent Assembly that truly represented the people of India (not created by a king or an outside power).
• Provisions (Substantive Provisions): It ensured that every individual had reason to belong to the Constitution. It gave no group the power to subvert the Constitution.
• Balanced Institutional Design: The power is divided intelligently so that no single institution can monopolize power. It uses the principle of checks and balances.

4. How was the Indian Constitution Made? (भारतीय संविधान कैसे बना?)

• Constituent Assembly (संविधान सभा):
  • Formed under the Cabinet Mission Plan in 1946.
  • Members were indirectly elected by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies.
  • First Meeting: December 9, 1946 (Later reconvened on August 14, 1947, as the Constituent Assembly for independent India).
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: Chairman of the Drafting Committee (प्रारूप समिति के अध्यक्ष). Known as the Father of the Indian Constitution.
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad: President of the Constituent Assembly.
• Time Taken: 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days.
• Adoption Date: November 26, 1949 (Enacted partially).
• Commencement Date: January 26, 1950 (Republic Day / गणतंत्र दिवस - celebrated because the Lahore Session of 1929 declared Purna Swaraj on this day).

5. Key Borrowed Features of the Indian Constitution (भारतीय संविधान के प्रमुख स्रोत)

The makers of the Constitution borrowed the best features from various countries:

6. Important Terms & Concepts (महत्वपूर्ण शब्द और अवधारणाएँ)

• Constitution (संविधान): The fundamental law of a land.
• Preamble (प्रस्तावना): The introduction to the constitution containing its ideals and objectives.
• Secularism (धर्मनिरपेक्षता): Equal respect and protection for all religions by the state.
• Universal Adult Franchise (सार्वभौमिक वयस्क मताधिकार): The right of all adult citizens to vote, regardless of wealth, gender, race, or status.
• Checks and Balances (नियंत्रण और संतुलन): A system where each organ of the government (Legislature, Executive, Judiciary) keeps a check on the powers of the other organs.