Fascinating Facts of the Indian Constitution

The genesis of the Constitution is inextricably linked to the socio-political awakening during the Indian freedom struggle and legislative enactments by British India.

The Revolutionary & Ideological Spark

• The Chapekar Brothers (1897): Shook the British Empire through the first localized revolutionary action in Pune on June 22, 1897.
• Martyrdom of Khudiram Bose: Symbol of youth sacrifice, martyred at just 18 years of age.
• The "Lal-Bal-Pal" Triumvirate: Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal vociferously articulated the demand for self-governance.
• Tilak's Declaration: "Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it."

Early Constitutional Blueprints

• The Swaraj Bill (1895): Demanded freedom of speech, property rights, and equality before law.
• Motilal Nehru Report (1928): First major indigenous constitutional framework draft.
• Government of India Act, 1935: Serves as the primary structural foundation of the modern Constitution.

• Inception: First proposed by M.N. Roy in 1934 and formalized under the 1946 Cabinet Mission Plan.
• Composition: Originally 389 members, revised to 299 post-Partition (292 from British provinces, 93 from Princely States).
• Leadership Pillars:
  • Interim President: Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha (First meeting: Dec 9, 1946).
  • President: Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
  • Vice Presidents: H.C. Mukherjee and V.T. Krishnamachari.
  • Constitutional Advisor: Sir B.N. Rau.
• The 15 Women Architects: Included trailblazers like Sarojini Naidu, Sucheta Kripalani, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Dakshayani Velayudhan, and Durgabai Deshmukh.
• Drafting Committee: 7-member body chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar constituted on August 29, 1947.
• The Labor of Creation: Spanned exactly 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days across 11 sessions (165 days of deliberations).

India's Constitution is a world-class synthesis of global legal philosophies, custom-tailored for Indian diversity:

• Govt. of India Act 1935: Federal scheme, emergency provisions, PSCs, Governor's office.
• United Kingdom: Parliamentary system, Rule of Law, single citizenship, bicameralism, writs.
• United States: Fundamental Rights, Preamble, Judicial Review, independent judiciary, impeachment.
• Ireland: Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP), Presidential election method.
• Canada: Strong Center with residuary powers, distribution of legislative lists.
• France: Ideals of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and the concept of Republic.
• Germany (Weimar): Suspension of Fundamental Rights during National Emergency.
• USSR (Russia): Fundamental Duties and socio-economic justice ideals in the Preamble.
• Australia: Concurrent List, Freedom of Interstate Trade and Commerce.
• South Africa: Constitutional Amendment procedure (Article 368).

• Article 1: Declares: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States."
• The Seventh Schedule: Divides power into Union List (originally 97), State List (66), and Concurrent List (47).
• 1st Amendment (1951): Added reasonable restrictions on free speech and introduced the Ninth Schedule for land reforms.
• 42nd Amendment (1976 - "Mini Constitution"): Added "Socialist", "Secular", and "Integrity" to the Preamble, codified Fundamental Duties.
• 44th Amendment (1978): Prevented misuse of emergency powers (Article 356) and removed Right to Property from Fundamental Rights.
• 61st Amendment (1989): Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years.
• 86th Amendment (2002): Enshrined Right to Education (Article 21A) for children aged 6–14.
• 106th Amendment (2023): Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam — 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.

• Kameshwar Singh vs. State of Bihar (1951): Landmark case on land reform and property rights that prompted the First Constitutional Amendment.
• Kesavananda Bharati vs. State of Kerala (1973): Historic 13-judge bench established the "Basic Structure Doctrine" — Parliament cannot alter the foundational identity of the Constitution.
• Maneka Gandhi vs. Union of India (1978): Expanded Article 21 to mean procedure must be "fair, just, and reasonable" (due process).
• S.R. Bommai vs. Union of India (1994): Curtailed arbitrary imposition of President's Rule (Article 356) and declared federalism and secularism as basic structure.
• K.S. Puttaswamy vs. Union of India (2017): 9-judge bench unanimously recognized the Right to Privacy as an intrinsic part of Article 21.

• The Master Calligrapher: Prem Behari Narain Raizada handwrote all 395 articles, 8 schedules, and preamble using 254 pen nibs (No. 303 nibs) in flowing italic script.
• Raizada's Only Condition: He refused monetary payment, asking only to sign his name on every page and include his grandfather's name (Ram Prasad Saxena) on the final page.
• Illuminated by Shantiniketan Artists: Nandalal Bose and Beohar Rammanohar Sinha decorated every single border with illustrations depicting India's 5,000-year history:
  • Fundamental Rights: Lord Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana returning to Ayodhya.
  • Directive Principles: Lord Krishna delivering the Gita to Arjuna.
  • Other Parts: Buddha, Mahavira, Nataraja, Shivaji, Rani Lakshmibai, Akbar, and Ashoka.
• Scientific Preservation: Original hand-written copies are stored in hermetically sealed, nitrogen-filled glass cases in the Parliament Library in New Delhi.
• Elephant Symbol: The elephant was adopted as the official emblem of the Constituent Assembly.