Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday marked the occasion of Constitution Day of India and said the day is to pay homage to the inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi and the commitment of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He said many such representatives had paved the way for the Navnirman of India. “The country should remember those efforts, for this purpose, it was decided to celebrate November 26 as Constitution Day 5 years ago,” the prime minister said while addressing the nation at the 80th All India Presiding Officers Conference. The prime minister said everything from the role of the three parts of the constitution to decorum is described in the Constitution itself. The PM said now our effort should be that the common citizen understands of the Constitution should be more comprehensive. “Nowadays you hear KYC… Know Your Customer is an important aspect of digital security. Similarly, KYC i.e. Know Your Constitution can also strengthen our constitutional safeguard,” he added.
Key Points

• India is celebrating the Constitution Day (Samvidhan Diwas) on 26th November to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India. 
• As a part of Constitution Day celebrations, President inaugurates All India Presiding Officers’ Conference at Kevadia, Gujarat.
• Theme of conference 2020: “Harmonious coordination between Legislature, Executive and Judiciary-Key to a Vibrant Democracy”.

About Constitution Day of India

• Constitution Day is celebrated in India on 26 November every year to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India.
• It was first celebrated in 2015 as a mark of tribute to India’s first Law Minister Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
• Earlier, this day was commemorated as National Law Day, after a resolution by the Supreme Court Bar Association, a lawyers’ body, in 1979.

Introduction to the Constitution of India

• The Indian Constitution is unique in both spirit and content. Notwithstanding the fact that several features of the constitution have been borrowed from other constitutions from all around the world, it is really a unique piece of work. The original constitution have been considerably changed by the various amendments that have been brought forth such as the 7th, 42nd, 44th, 73rd and 74th Amendments.

The Indian Constitution is not a rigid constitution. It can be amended by the Parliament following a few rules. There have been made many changes in the Constitution of India. Some of the important amendments of the Indian Constitution are:

• 42nd Amendment
• 44th Amendment

The 42nd Amendment is also known as the “Mini Constitution” because it made several sweeping changes to the constitution. This was during the Emergency in 1976. In 1973, the Supreme Court had ruled in the Kesavananda Bharati case that the constituent power of the Parliament under Article 368 does not empower it to alter the basic structure of the constitution.

• Constitution of India contains 395 articles in 22 parts. Additional articles and parts are inserted later through various amendments. There are also 12 schedules in the Indian Constitution.
• As of March 2020,  Constitution of India comprises 448 articles in 25 parts and 12 schedules. There are 104 amendments that have been made in the Indian constitution up to January 25, 2020. The very first amendment in the Indian Constitution was made in 1950.

Accordingly we can define the functions of the Constitution as follows:

• The constitution provides a set of basic rules that allow for minimal coordination amongst members of a society.
• It also lays out the fundamental principles according to which a state is constituted or governed.
• It specifies the basic allocation of power in a society, and gives certain decision making powers to the law makers.
• It specifies who has the power to make decisions in a society. It decides how the government will be constituted.
• Then, the constitution enables the government to fulfil the aspirations of the society and to implement the ideals of justice, liberty and fraternity. At the same time it sets some limits on what a government can impose on its citizens.

Chief features of the Indian Constitution
Federal System with Unitary Bias

• The constitution establishes a federal government system in India. All the expected features of a federal state such as two government levels, division of power, supremacy and rigidity of the constitution, written constitution and bicameralism are present. But, the constitution also contains many features of a unitary form of government such as single citizenship, strong centre, single constitution, flexibility of constitution, all-India services, integrated judiciary, appointment of state governor by the Centre, emergency provisions, and so on.

In addition, the term ‘federation’ is not mentioned in the constitution. Article 1 says India is a ‘Union of States’, implying –

• The Indian federation is not the result of an agreement by the states.
• States do not have the right to secede from the federation.

Parliamentary Form of Government

• The parliamentary form, borrowed from the British system, is based on the principle of cooperation and coordination between the legislative and executive. This form of government is alternatively known as the Westminster model of government. It is also called responsible government and cabinet government. According to the constitution, not only the centre, the parliamentary form is followed even in the states.

In India, the features of the parliamentary form of government are as follows

• Nominal and real executives
• Rule of the majority party
• Collective responsibility of the executive to the legislature
• Membership of the ministers in the legislature
• Leadership of the prime minister or the chief minister
• Dissolution of the lower House

Road Ahead

• Indian Constitution has also shown remarkable resilience by surviving various assaults on it, especially during the Emergency. The pictures in Indian constitution are based on a history of Indian art from the Harappan civilization up to independence in 1947. Each interprets a specific style from a historical epoch linking the nation with its artistic history. The illustrations must be read not as stills, but as the message they want to impart.