Indian Constitution | Kerala PSC Exam Study Material, Short Notes & Previous Questions

Check this article for Kerala PSC exam study material for Indian Constitution. This also includes short notes and frequently asked previous questions and answers. The entire syllabus of Indian Constitution for various Kerala PSC exams are as follows. 

Salient features of the Constitution - Preamble- Its significance and its place in the interpretation of the Constitution. Fundamental Rights - Directive Principles of State Policy - Relation between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles - Fundamental Duties. Executive - Legislature - Judiciary - Both at Union and State Level. - Other Constitutional Authorities. Center-State Relations - Legislative - Administrative and Financial. Services under the Union and the States. Emergency Provisions. Amendment Provisions of the Constitution.

This first part of the syllabus till Judiciary will be covered in an eBook in PDF format. Some of the sample contents which are available in this eBook are discussed below. If you find these contents useful, you can get the complete part 1 syllabus in the mentioned eBook. So let us start with an Introduction to the Constitution of India. 

Introduction to the Constitution of India 

The constitution is the foundational law of a country which ordains the fundamental principles on which the Government or the Governance of that country is based. It lays down the framework and principal functions of various organs of the government, as well as the modalities, of interactions between the government and its citizens. 

The American constitution is written, rigid and federal. Whereas, the British constitution is unwritten, flexible and unitary. Indian constitution is written and is a blend of rigidity and flexibility with a quasi – federalist system (federal system with unitary bias). 

MN Roy (famous as the Father of Indian communism) the pioneer of Communist Movement in India and an advocate of radical democratism suggested the need for a constitution in 1934. In 1946 constituent assembly was formed for this purpose. The constitution of India was adopted on November 26, 1949. It came into force on January 26, 1950. 

Confusing Facts: 

• M N Roy is the first person to suggest the need for a constitution. 
• Swaraj party is the first political party to suggest the need for a constitution.

Facts about constitution: 

• Indian Constitution is the largest written constitution in the world 
• the shortest and oldest written constitution in the world is American constitution 
• Indian Constitution is written constitution like the American constitution but the Constitution of the United Kingdom and Israel are unwritten

WRITTEN CONSTITUTION VERSUS UNWRITTEN CONSTITUTION 

The Written Constitution 

• The basic rule of government organization is contained in it. 
• The constitution is supreme 

The Unwritten Constitution 

• Most of the rules and principles of government are not written. 
• The legislature is supreme 

TIMELINE OF THE CONSTITUTION 

1934 - The idea of the constituent assembly by M N Roy 

1935 - INC for the first time, officially demand a constituent assembly to frame the constitution of India 

1940 - The demand was finally accepted in principle by the British government in what is known as the ‘August Offer’ 

1942 - Sir Stafford Cripps a member of the cabinet came to India with a draft proposal of the British government on the framing of an independent constitution to be adopted after the World War 2 

NOTE: The Cripps Proposals were rejected by the Muslim League which wanted India to be divided into two autonomous States with two separate constituent assemblies. 

1946 - Cabinet mission consisting of 3 members sir Stafford Cripps, Lord Pethick Lawrence and A V Alexander 

1946 May 16 - Cabinet mission plan 

Confusing facts: 

• The original constitution of India was handwritten by Prem Behari Narain Raizada.  
• It was entirely handcrafted by the artists of Shantiniketan under the guidance of Acharya Nandalal Bose.

ABOUT THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

• The constitution of India was framed by a constituent assembly set up under the cabinet mission plan of 1946.

NOTE: Cabinet mission arrived in India on March 24, 1946. Cabinet mission had three members. Chairman of the Cabinet Mission was Patrick Lawrence. Other two members were A V Alexander and Stafford Cripps.

• The first meeting of the constituent assembly was held on December 9, 1946, at 11 a.m.
• It took place in Constitutional Hall, New Delhi.
• The constituent assembly consists of 389 members originally.

NOTE: A total of 17 women were members of the Constituent Assembly. Three Malayalee Women who were the members of the Indian Constituent Assembly are Ammu Swaminathan, Dakshayani Velayudhan & Annie Mascarene.

Confusing Facts: 

• First temporary President of the constituent assembly was Dr Satchidananda Sinha. He was the temporary president of constituent assembly following French practice (that is the oldest member of the Assembly become the President of the assembly)
• Permanent president of the constituent assembly was Dr Rajendra Prasad elected on December 11, 1946. H C Mukharjee became the Vice President and Sir B N Rau was the Constitutional Adviser.

• Constituent assembly worked through committees. The most important committee was Drafting Committee under the chairmanship of B.R. Ambedkar. The drafting committee consisted of 7 members. It was set up on August 29, 1947. 

• 7 members of drafting committee are Dr B.R. Ambedkar, N. Gopalaswamy Iyer, Dr K. M. Munshi, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, Sayyed Mohammed Sadullah, B. L. Mitter was replaced by M Madhava Rao, D. P. Khaitan was replaced by T. T. Krishnamacharya. 

• Objective Resolution: Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the objective resolution in the Assembly on 13 December 1946 and it was adopted on 22nd January 1947. It laid down the fundamentals and philosophy of the constitutional structure. The Preamble of the Constitution is the modified version of the objective resolution. 

• The Supreme Court acts as the guardian of the constitution 

Confusing Facts: 

• B.R. Ambedkar is ‘the father of the Constitution of India’. He is also called ‘the modern Manu’, ‘Modern Bhudha’. 
• Dr. B R Ambedkar’s birthday, April 14 is observed as ‘Water Day’ across India and his death anniversary, December 6 is observed as ‘Mahaparinirvan Din’. 
• Nehru is considered as ‘the architect of the Preamble’. B.R. Ambedkar is ‘the chief architect of the constitution of India’. 

COMMITTEES OF THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY 

• Union Powers Committee - Jawaharlal Nehru 
• Union Constitution Committee - Jawaharlal Nehru 
• Provincial Constitution Committee - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• Advisory Committee On Fundamental Rights Minorities And Tribals And Excluded Areas - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• Rules Of Procedure Committee - Dr. Rajendra Prasad
• States Committee (Committee For Negotiating With States) - Jawaharlal Nehru
• Steering Committee - Dr. Rajendra Prasad
• Drafting Committee - Dr. BR Ambedkar
• Ad – hoc Committee On The National Flag – Dr. Rajendra Prasad
• House Committee – B Pattabhi Sitharamayya

FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY 

1. Ratified India's membership of Commonwealth - May 1949

2. Adopted national flag - July 22, 1947

3. Adopted national anthem - January 24, 1950

4. Adopted national song - January 24, 1950

5. Elected Rajendra Prasad as the first president of India - January 24, 1950

6. Met as Dominion legislature and elected Mavlankar as speaker - November 17, 1947

Confusing Facts: 

• Constitution was adopted on November 26, 1949
• Date of commencement of the Constitution on January 26, 1949
• The national flag was adopted on – 22nd July 1947
• Tri-color flag hosted for the first time - 31st December 1929

Frequently asked questions from Kerala PSC exams: 

• Constituent Assembly adopted the draft Constitution on 
  A) 26th January 1950 B) 26th November 1949 C) 26th January 1947 D) 26th November 1945 

Answer: B) 26th November 1949

• Vande Matharam was accepted as India’s national song on 
  A) 17th August 1947 B) 24th January 1950 C) 26th January 1950 D) None of these

Anwer: B) 24th January 1950 

• The national anthem was first sung in the year 
  A) 1930 B)1911 C)1935 D)1947 

Answer: B) 1911 

• The tri-color flag hosted for the first time in 
  A) 31st December 1929 B) 15th August 1929 C)26th January 1950 D) 1st November 1956 

Answer: A) 31st December 1929 

• The Constituent Assembly approved the Indian Constitution on 
  A) 26 January 1950 B) 15 August 1947 C) 26 January 1949 D) 26 November 1949 

Answer: 26 November 1949 

• At what time the first session of the constituent assembly of India began? 
  A) 9am B) 9.30am C) 10.30am D) 11am 

Answer: D) 11 am 

• The demand for the constituent assembly was put forward by the INC in 1936 at its session held at 
  A) Kanpur B)Bombay C) Lahore D) Fezpur 

Answer: D) Fezpur (Maharashtra) 

• Constituent assembly formed by the provisions of __________ plan. 
  A) Mountbatten plan B) Cabinet mission plan C) Vavel plan D) June 3rd plan 

Answer: B) Cabinet mission plan 

• The Constituent Assembly adopted the Indian Constitution on 
  A) 26 January 1950 B) 15 August 1947 C) 26 January 1949 D) 26 November 1949 

Answer: D) 26 November 1949 

• The Constitution of India came into force on 
  A)26 January 1950 B) 15 August 1947 C) 26 January 1949 D) 26 November 1949 

Answer: A) 26 January 1950 

• Who was the Chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution? 
  A)K.M. Munshi B) G. Gopalaswami Iyyengar C) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar D) D.P. Khaitan

Answer: C) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar 

• The first Indian elected to the leadership of Communist International was 
  [a] S.A. Dange [b] E.M.S. [c] P.C. Joshi [d] M.N. Roy 

Answer: D) MN Roy

Do you find this content useful? If so, in the same pattern, the part 1 syllabus of Indian Constitution for Kerala PSC exams has been prepared in the eBook mentioned below which can be downloaded in PDF format. Continue reading from this eBook>>>>

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