A.

Polity Bits:
1. The last day of the constituent Assembly of India was 24.01.1950.
Concurrent list of Indian Constitution has 47 items.
2. Article 324 says "Superintendence, direction and control of elections to
be vested in an Election Commission".
3. The Words-" Unity of the Nation" were added in the Preamble of the
Indian Constitution by 42nd Amendment of the Constitution.
4. The beginnings of Constitution making during the British rule in India
are to be found in the Charter Act of 1793.
5. On Mount
Batten
Plan,
the
British
Parliament
passed Indian Independence Bill,1947.
6. The first reference to a Constituent Assembly for India was made
by Jawaharlal Nehru.
7. The first
draft of
the
constitution
of
India
was
prepared
in October'1948.
8. Indian Constitution as originally adopted had 395 Articles.
9. Nearly 75% of Indian Constitution can be said to be a reproduction of
Government of India Act,1935.
10.
East India Company was formed by some merchants of London
on 31st December,1600.
11.
Part XIV of the Constitution of India deals with Public Service
Commissions.
12.
Article 51A of Indian Constitution deals with Fundamental Duties.
13.
Number of Schedules in Indian Constitution are 12.
14.
'Power of Parliament to amend the Constitution and Procedure
there of '- is given in Article 368 of Indian Constitution.
15.
Demand for some of the Fundamental Rights was made as early
as in 1918. (In August 1918 Indian National Congress soon after he
publication of the Montagu-Chelmsford Report, made a demand that
the new Government of India Act should declare the rights of the
people of India as British Citizens.)
16.
Originally the Constitution contains 395 articles (divided into
22 parts) and 8 schedules when the Constitution was enacted.
17.
Presently, it consists of about 450 Articles (divided into 24
parts) and 12 schedules.
18.
Indian constitution is the bulkiest written Constitution in the
world.
19.

The symbol of our constitution is Elephant.

20.
About 1/3rd of Constitution was derived from Government of
India Act of 1935.
21.

Jammu and Kashmir enjoys special status under Article 370.

22.
The fundamental Duties are
by 42nd amendment Act.

included

in

the

Constitution

23.
Article 3 deals with formation of new states and alteration
of areas, boundaries or names of existing states.
24.
The procedure involved to amend the Article 4 of the Indian
Constitution involves Simple majority from among those who
attended the House.
25.
Article 169 deals with abolition or creation of legislative
councils in states.
26.
The Constitution of India is neither rigid nor flexible but a
synthesis of both.
27.
The term Federation has nowhere
Constitution.
28.

been

used

in

the

K.C.Wheare described Indian Constitution as Quasi-federal.

29.
Morris
federalism.

Jones described

Indian

30.
Granville
Austin described
operative federalism.

Constitution
Indian

as bargaining

Constitution

as co-

31.
Ivor Jennings described Indian Constitution as federalism with
a centralizing tendency.
32.
Article 13 declares that all laws that are inconsistent with or in
derogation of any of the fundamental rights shall be void.
33.

Article 14 deals with Equality before law.

34.
Article 15 deals with prohibition of discrimination on grounds of
religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
35.
Article 16 deals with equality of opportunity in matters of public
employment.

36.

Article 17 deals with abolition of untouchability.

37.

Article 18 deals with abolition of titles.

38.
Article 19 deals with protection of certain rights regarding
freedom of speech etc.
39.
Article 20 deals with protection in respect on conviction for
offences.
40.
Article 21 deals with protection of life and personal liberty.
41.
Article 21 declares that no person shall be deprived of his
life of personal liberty except according to procedure established
by law. This right is available to both citizens and non citizens.
42.

Article 21A deals with right of elementary education.

43.
Article 21A was added
Amendment Act of 2002.

by

the

86th Constitutional

44.
Even before this amendment, the constitution contained a
provision for free and compulsory education for children under Article
45 in part-IV. However, being a directive principle, it was not
enforceable by the courts.
45.
Article 22 deals
with protection
detention in certain cases.

against

arrest

and

46.
Article 23 deals with prohibition of traffic in human beings
and forced labour.
47.
Article 24 deals with prohibition of employment of children
in factories etc.
48.
Article 25 deals with freedom of conscience
profession, practice and propagation of religion.
49.

and

free

Article 26 deals with freedom to manage religious affairs.

50.
Article 27 deals with freedom as to payment of taxes for
promotion of any particular religion.
51.
Article 28 deals with freedom as to attendance at religious
instructions or religious worship in certain educational
institutions.

52.

Article 29 deals with Protection of interests of minorities.

53.
Article 30 deals with right of minorities to establish and
administer educational institutions.
54.
Article 32 deals
with remedies
fundamental rights including writs.

for

enforcement

of

55.
Article 13 declares that a constitutional amendment is not a
law and hence cannot be challenged. However, the Supreme Court
held inKesavananda Bharati case(1973) that a Constitutional can
be challenged on the ground that it violates a fundamental right
that forms a part of the basic structure of the
Constitution and hence, can be declared as void.
56.
Article 14 says that the State shall not deny to any person
equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws
within the territory of India.
57.
Article 14 confers rights on all persons whether citizens or
foreigners.
58.
The concept of equality before law is of British Origin while
the concept of equal protection of laws has been taken from
theAmerican Constitution.
59.
The rule of equality is not absolute and there are many
exceptions to it. Thus, the President of India, State governors, public
servants, judges, foreign diplomats enjoy immunities, protections and
special privileges.
60.
In 1979,
the
Morarji
Desai
Government appointed
nd
the 2 Backward classes Commission under the chairmanship of
B.P.Mandal, a Member of Parliament under Article 340 of the
Constitution to investigate the conditions of the socially and
educationally backward classes and suggest measures for their
advancements.
61.
The commission
submitted
its
report
in 1980 and
identified 3743 castes as socially and educationally backward classes.
62.
The commission recommended
government jobs for the OBCs.
63.
In 1990 V.P.Singh
jobs for OBCs.

for

reservation

Government declared 27%

of

27%

government

64.
In the famous Mandal case (Indra Sawhney Vs Union of
India) (1992), the scope and extent of Article 16(4) has been
thoroughly examined by the Supreme Court.
65.
Ram
Nandan
Committee was
the creamy layer among the OBCs.

appointed

to

identify

66.
The 76th Amendment Act of 1994 has placed the Tamil Nadu
Reservations Act of 1994 in the 9th Schedule to protect it from
judicial review as it provided for 69% of reservation, far exceeding
the 50% ceiling.
67.
In 1976, the Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955 has been
comprehensively amended and renamed as the Protection of Civil
Rights Act, 1955.
68.
The term untouchability has not been defined either in
the Constitution or in the Act.
69.
Under the Protection of Civil Rights Act(1955), the offences
committed on the ground of untouchability are punishable either
by imprisonment up to six months or by fine upto Rs.500/- or
both.
70.
Article 18 prohibits a citizen of India from accepting any title
from any foreign State.
71.
In Balaji Raghavan Vs Union of India (1996) case,
the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the
National Awards.
72.
The
National
Awards Bharat
Ratna, Padma
Vibhushan, Padma
Bhushan and Padma
Sri were
instituted
in 1954.
73.
The Janata Party headed by Morarji Desai discontinued the
National Awards in 1977. But they were again revived in 1980 by
theIndira Gandhi government.
74.
Originally, Article 19 contained 7 rights. But, the right to
acquire, hold and dispose of property was deleted by the
44thAmendment Act of 1978.
75.
The rights conferred under Article 19 are protected against only
State action and not private individuals.

76.
The rights conferred under Article 19 are available only to
citizens of India but not to foreigners.
77.
The state can impose reasonable restrictions on the
enjoyment of these six rights only on the grounds mentioned in
the Article 19 itself and not on any other grounds.
78.
The Supreme Court upheld that the trade unions have no
guaranteed right to effective bargaining or right to strike or right to
declare a lock-out.
79.
The Directive Principles of State Policy are enumerated in Part
IV of the Constitution from Articles 36 to 51.
80.
The framers of the Constitution borrowed the idea of Directive
Principles of State Policy from the Irish Constitution of 1937, which
had copied it from the Spanish Constitution.
81.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar described the Directive Principles of State
Policy as novel features of the Indian Constitution.
82.
Granville Austin has described the Directive Principles and
the Fundamental Rights as the Conscience of the Constitution.
83.
The Directive Principles resemble the Instrument of
Instructions enumerated in the Government of India Act of 1935.
84.
The Directive Principles are non-justiciable in nature, that
is, they are not legally enforceable by the Courts for their
violation.
85.
Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes in the House of the People is under article 330.
86.

The term of a member of Rajya Sabha is 6 Years.

87.
Right to equality is an important right provided for in
the Articles 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the constitution.
88.
Article 17 of the constitution abolishes the practice of
untouchability.
89.

The right to freedom in Article 19 guarantees 6 freedoms.

90.
The right against exploitation, given in Articles 23 and 24,
provides for two provisions, namely the abolition of trafficking in
human beings and Begar or Forced Labour.

91.
Freedom of press has not been included in the right to
freedom.
92.

Article 12-35 provides fundamental rights to Indian Citizen.

93.
Charter act of 1813 deprived the Company of its Indian trade
monopoly
except for trade in tea and the trade with China.
94.

In 42nd amendment fundamental duties were added.

95.

Fundamental duties don't enjoy any legal sanction.

96.
The lawmakers
of
federation from Canada.

India have borrowed

Scheme of

97.
In India, a tax on Agricultural revenue can be levied by
State.
98.

In India education is a legal obligation.

99.
Vice-president performs the duty of president on his / her
absence.
100.

The maximum number of members of the Lok Sabha is 550.