Salient Features of Indian

Constitution
 Single Constitution for both Union and
States
• India has a single Constitution for Union and
all the States. The Constitution promotes the
unity and convergence of the ideals of
nationalism. Single Constitution empowers
only the Parliament of India to make changes
in the Constitution. It empowers the
Parliament even to create a new state or
abolish an existing state or alter its
boundaries.
 Sources of the Constitution
• The Indian Constitution has borrowed
provisions from various countries and modified
them according to the suitability and
requirements of the country. The structural
part of the Constitution of India has been
derived from the Government of India Act,
1935. The provisions such as the Parliamentary
System of Government and Rule of Law have
been adopted from the United Kingdom.
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• Rigidity and Flexibility: The Constitution of India is
neither rigid nor flexible. A Rigid Constitution means
that the special procedures are required for its
amendments whereas a Flexible Constitution is one in
which the constitution can be amended easily.
• Secular State: The term secular state means that all the
religions present in India get equal protection and
support from the state. In addition; it provides equal
treatment to all religions by the government and equal
opportunities for all religions.
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• Federalism in India: The Constitution of India
provides for the division of power between
the Union and the State governments. It also
fulfils some other features of federalism such
as the rigidity of the constitution, written
constitution, a bicameral legislature,
independent judiciary, and supremacy of the
constitution. Thus, India has a Federal System
with unitary bias.
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• Parliamentary Form of Government: India has
a Parliamentary Form of Government. India
has a Bicameral Legislature with two houses
named Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. In the
Parliamentary Form of Government; there is
no clear cut separation of powers of
Legislative and Executive organs. In India; the
head of the government is Prime Minister.
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• Single Citizenship: Constitution of India provides for single
citizenship to every individual in the country. No state in India can
discriminate against an individual of another state. Moreover, in
India, an individual has the right to move to any part of the
country or live anywhere in the territory of India except certain
places.
• Integrated and Independent Judiciary: The Constitution of India
provides for an integrated and independent judicial system. The
Supreme Court is the highest court of India with authority over
all the other courts in India followed by high courts, district
courts, and lower courts. To protect the Judiciary from any
influence, the Constitution has laid down certain provisions such
as Security of Tenure and Fixed Service Conditions for judges, etc.
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• Directive Principles of State Policy: Part IV (Articles 36 to 51)
of the Constitution mentions the Directive Principles of State
Policy. These are non-justifiable in nature and are broadly
classified into Socialistic, Gandhian, and Liberal-intellectual.

Fundamental Duties: These were added to the Constitution

by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act (1976). A new
Part IV-A was created for the purpose and 11 duties were
incorporated under Article 51-A. The provision reminds the
citizens that while enjoying rights, they should also perform
their duties.
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• Universal Adult Franchise: In India, every citizen who is above
the age of 18 years has the right to vote without any
discrimination on the ground of caste, race, religion, sex, literacy
etc. The universal adult franchise removes social inequalities and
maintains the principle of political equality for all citizens.

Emergency Provisions: The President is empowered to take

certain steps to tackle any extraordinary situation to maintain the
sovereignty, security, unity, and integrity of the nation. The states
become totally subordinate to the Central Government when an
emergency is imposed. According to the need; an emergency can
be imposed in parts or the whole of the country.