Major Features of the Constitution

Preambles are the first paragraphs of the Indian Constitution. In the Preamble, the Constitution’s ideals, objectives, and basic principles are laid out. From these objectives which flow from the Preamble, the Constitution’s salient features included in the making of the Indian constitution have evolved directly and indirectly.

Based on the needs of the country, our Constitution incorporates the best features of most major constitutions of the world. Although the Indian constitution borrows from almost every constitution in the world, it has several salient features that distinguish it from other constitutions. A comprehensive discussion of some of the major features of the constitution is presented in this article.

Lengthiest Written Constitution

In addition to written constitutions, such as the American Constitution, there are also unwritten constitutions, such as the British Constitution.

1. In terms of length and detail, the Indian Constitution is the longest and most detailed constitutional document in the world. Therefore, India’s Constitution is the world’s longest written constitution.
2. There is a lot of detail, elaborateness, and comprehensiveness in this document.
3. There are a number of factors that contributed to the elephantine size of the Indian Constitution:
4. Factors related to geography, such as the vastness and diversity of the country.
5. Factors such as the Government of India Act of 1935, which had a large impact.
6. Both the Centre and the states should have a single constitution.
7. In the Constituent Assembly, legal luminaries dominated
8. There are detailed administrative provisions in the Indian Constitution as well as the fundamental principles of governance.
9. The Constitution protects both justiciable and non-justiciable rights

Directive Principles of State Policy

1. As per Dr B R Ambedkar, the Directive Principles of State Policy are a ‘novel feature’ of the Indian Constitution.
2. The Constitution enumerates them in Part IV.
3. In order to provide social and economic justice to our people, our Constitution includes the Directive Principles.
4. Those Directive Principles aim to establish a welfare state in India where wealth will not be concentrated in the hands of a few.
5. There is no legal remedy for them.
6. According to the Supreme Court in Minerva Mills (1980), the Indian Constitution is based on the balance between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles.

Single Citizenship

1. Typically, citizens of a federal state enjoy double citizenship, as in the United States.
2. Single citizenship is the only form of citizenship in India.
3. All Indians are citizens of India, regardless of where they live or where they were born.
4. Regardless of whether he/she belongs to a Constituent State such as Jharkhand, Uttaranchal or Chattisgarh, he/she remains an Indian citizen.
5. In India, all citizens enjoy the same rights in all parts of the country, including employment.
6. To eliminate regionalism and other disintegrating tendencies, the Constitution makers opted for single citizenship.
7. Indians are undoubtedly united by their single citizenship.

Three-tier Government

1. In its original form, the Indian Constitution established a dual polity and outlined the powers and organization of the Centre and States.
2. As a result of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts (1992), a third level of government has been added (that is, the Local Government).
3. A new Part IX and schedule 11 to the Constitution were added by the 73rd Amendment Act of 1992 to give constitutional recognition to panchayats (rural local governments).
4. By adding a new Part IX-A and a new schedule 12 to the Constitution, the 74th Amendment Act of 1992 gave constitutional recognition to municipalities (urban local governments).