Indian Constitution
đź”– One-liner Facts
- Longest written constitution – 448 Articles, 25 Parts, 12 Schedules (original 395-22-8)
- Adopted 26 Nov 1949, Enforced 26 Jan 1950 (Republic Day)
- Father of Constitution – Dr B. R. Ambedkar
- Original Preamble “Sovereign Democratic Republic”; 42nd AA added “Socialist Secular”
- Fundamental Rights – 6 categories (Art 12-35); DPSP – Art 36-51; FR suspended only during National Emergency (Art 352) except Art 20 & 21
- President’s Rule – Art 356; Financial Emergency – Art 360 (never used)
- Amendment types – Simple, Special & ratification by >½ states; Basic Structure – Kesavananda Bharati 1973
- Parliament – Lok Sabha max strength 552; Rajya Sabha 238 elected + 12 nominated
- CAG – Guardian of public purse; AGI – Highest law officer; ECI – 3 members (1 CEC + 2 ECs)
- Supreme Court – 34 judges (inc. CJI); retirement 65 yrs; writ jurisdiction Art 32
🧠Mnemonics
| Acronym | Full Form | Use |
|---|---|---|
| DAD | DPSP, FR, Duties | Parts of Constitution after Preamble |
| FEDERAL | Finance, Executive, Diplomatic, Emergency, Railway, Army, Legislature | President can summon joint sitting (Art 108) only for ordinary bills |
| TEN PM | T**enure, Eligibility, Nomination, Powers, Ministry | Remember PM conditions |
| BAPU | Basic-structure, Amendment, Preamble, Union | Key topics of polity |
| 36-51 | 36 to 51 = DPSP | Count 3-6-5-1 = 36-51 |
⚖️ Quick Comparison Tables
Emergency Types
| Type | Article | Ground | Approval | Max duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | 352 | war/external/Internal disturbance | Lok+Rajya Sabha in 1 m | indefinite (repeated) |
| President’s | 356 | Constitutional failure in state | Lok Sabha in 2 m | 6 m × 3 (max 3 yrs) |
| Financial | 360 | threat to financial stability | President only | revoked by President |
Schedules at a Glance
| No. | Deals with |
|---|---|
| 1 | States & UTs |
| 2 | Salaries of Pres, VP, Judges… |
| 3 | Forms of Oath/Affirmation |
| 4 | Rajya Sabha seat allocation |
| 5 | Admin of Scheduled Areas |
| 6 | Tribal areas (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura) |
| 7 | Union, State & Concurrent Lists |
| 8 | 22 Official Languages |
| 9 | Acts outside judicial review (added by 1st AA) |
| 10 | Anti-defection (52nd AA) |
| 11 | Panchayats (73rd AA) |
| 12 | Municipalities (74th AA) |
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