Subject Name: Contemporary India: An

Overview, Issues and Debates

Department of Media and Communication
Studies

Jagannath International Management School

Vasant Kunj, New Delhi - 110070
(Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi)
Recognized u/s 2(f) by UGC & Accredited with ‘A’ Grade by NAAC
Participant of UNGC & UNPRME, New York
ISO 9001:2015 Quality Certified
Programme : BA(JMC)
Semester : I
Subject Code : BA(JMC)-103
Subject : Contemporary India: An Overview
Topic : Indian Constitution:The Preamble
What will we learn ?
• Preamble
• Fundamental Rights and
• Duties
• Directive Principles of State Policy
Basic structure
• Preamble
• Fundamental Rights
• Directive Principles
• Secularism
• Federalism
• Republicanism
• Independent Judiciary
• Rule of Law and Liberal Democracy
Preamble
• The Preamble of Indian Constitution declares India to be a
sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic. The
objectives stated by the Preamble are to secure justice, liberty, equality
to all citizens and promote fraternity to maintain unity and integrity of
the nation.
• It was drafted by Jawaharlal Nehru on 13/Dec/1946 and is based on
the objectives of the objectives.
Continued
• WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to
constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and
integrity of the Nation.
Continued
In our Constituent Assembly this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949,
do Hereby Adopt, Enact And Give To Ourselves This Constitution.
• Components of Preamble
1. It is indicated by the Preamble that the source of authority of the
Constitution lies with the people of India.
2. Preamble declares India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic
republic.
3. The objectives stated by the Preamble are to secure justice, liberty, equality
to all citizens and promote fraternity to maintain unity and integrity of the
nation.
4. The date is mentioned in the preamble when it was adopted i.e. November
26, 1949
Key words in the Preamble
• Sovereign means that India has its own independent authority and the
legislature has the power to make laws which is subjected to certain
limitations.
• Sovereignty denotes supreme and ultimate power.
• Socialist was added in the Preamble by 42nd Amendment, 1976 which means
Democratic Socialism (achievement of socialist goals through the democratic,
evolutionary and non-violent).
• Secular was incorporated in the Preamble by 42nd Constitutional Amendment,
1976 which means that all the religions in India get equal respect, protection
and support from the state and the Preamble to the Constitution asserted that
India is a secular nation. 
Continued
• Democratic implies that the Constitution of India has an established
form of government which gets its authority from the will of the
people expressed in an election (the supreme power lies with the
people).
• Republic a state in which the supreme power shall remain with the
people and their elected representatives. The head of the state has to be
elected and is called the President. He is indirectly elected for a term
of five years.
What did we learn?

The preamble is a unique part of the constitution as it represents the

entire constitution in the written words and is vital part of the
Constitution as it contains the basic features of the Constitution in the
sense that it enables one to understand the constitution.
Thank You !!