Class 7 Social Science Chapter 10: The Constitution of India — An Introduction Notes

What is this chapter about?

The chapter opens with words of Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India: living by the Constitution can make the country great, but that needs hard work, moral renewal, respect for other people’s views and a readiness to compromise. A family in Delhi then watches the Republic Day Parade on television, and the children learn that the day marks the Constitution coming into effect on 26 January 1950. Its four Big Questions ask what a constitution is, how India’s was prepared, what shaped it, and what its key features are.

What is a constitution?

A constitution is the document that records a nation’s founding principles and laws. It describes the legislature, executive and judiciary and how each keeps a check on the others, what rights and duties citizens have, and what the nation hopes to achieve in the long run. A kabaddi story shows why one is needed: when a dispute breaks out in a final, the referee and both captains check the official rulebook and accept the decision. The Constitution is a rulebook of this kind for the whole country, and the president, prime minister, ministers and judges all promise to uphold it. Read making of the Constitution.

Writing the Constitution

While India was still fighting for freedom, its leaders had to plan how the country would govern itself: what kind of government, which principles, who could vote and how disputes would be settled. A Constituent Assembly was formed on 9 December 1946, its members elected by the provincial legislative assemblies. It began with 389 members, reduced to 299 after Partition, 15 of them women, from many regions, professions and social groups. Dr Rajendra Prasad was its Chairman, and the Drafting Committee, headed by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, prepared the text. The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950.

What shaped it

Three influences came together. Many leaders of the freedom movement sat in the Assembly and brought its ideals of equality, justice, freedom and fraternity. India’s civilisational heritage added respect for different points of view, Nature as sacred, learning, respect for women, vasudhaiva kutumbakam and a long tradition of stressing people’s duties. And the makers studied other constitutions: liberty, equality and fraternity came from France, the Directive Principles from Ireland and the independent judiciary from the USA.

Key features

The Constitution sets out the roles and accountability of the legislature, executive and judiciary, the three tiers of central, state and local government, and an electoral system that lets every eligible citizen vote. Its other core parts are the Fundamental Rights, which can be enforced in court, the Fundamental Duties of citizens, and the Directive Principles of State Policy, goals the government should work towards. Read Fundamental Rights, Duties and Directive Principles.

A living document

The makers knew new needs would arise, so the Constitution can be amended after careful debate in Parliament, and for some changes in state assemblies too. Fundamental Duties arrived as Part IV-A in 1976 and Panchayati Raj in 1992; in 2004 the Supreme Court held that flying the national flag is part of the freedom of expression. It also is a work of art: the calligrapher Prem Behari Narain Raizada wrote it by hand, and Nandalal Bose and his team illustrated it.

The Preamble

The essence of the Constitution’s guiding values is in the Preamble. It begins ‘We, the people of India’ and describes India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, committed to justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The words ‘socialist’, ‘secular’ and ‘integrity’ were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976. Read the Preamble and its values.

Before we move on

The Constitution is the country’s rulebook: it protects every citizen’s rights and expects citizens to follow their duties. India’s heritage, the freedom struggle and good ideas from other constitutions were its building blocks. Its key features shape the country’s social, economic and political structure and its parliamentary form of government, and it can be improved as the country’s needs change. Answers to every question are in the NCERT solutions for Chapter 10.