Constitution of India
The supreme law of India — the framework defining fundamental political principles, the structure, powers and duties of government institutions, and the fundamental rights, directive principles and duties of citizens.
Quick Facts
- Adopted
- 26 November 1949
- Enforced (came into force)
- 26 January 1950 — celebrated as Republic Day
- Time taken to draft
- 2 years, 11 months, 18 days
- Original structure
- 22 Parts, 395 Articles, 8 Schedules
- Current structure
- 25 Parts, ~448 Articles, 12 Schedules
- Constituent Assembly
- 389 members originally, 299 after Partition
- Assembly President
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad
- Drafting Committee Chairman
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar ("Father of the Constitution")
- Original copy
- Hand-written & calligraphed by Prem Behari Narain Raizada; ~251 pages; illustrated by Shantiniketan artists; preserved in a helium-filled case in the Parliament Library
Preamble
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
25 Parts of the Constitution
| Part | Subject | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| Part I | Union and its Territory | 1–4 |
| Part II | Citizenship | 5–11 |
| Part III | Fundamental Rights | 12–35 |
| Part IV | Directive Principles of State Policy | 36–51 |
| Part IVA | Fundamental Duties | 51A |
| Part V | The Union (President, Parliament, Judiciary, CAG) | 52–151 |
| Part VI | The States (Governor, State Legislature, State Judiciary) | 152–237 |
| Part VII | States in Part B (repealed by the 7th Amendment, 1956) | 238 (repealed) |
| Part VIII | The Union Territories | 239–242 |
| Part IX | The Panchayats | 243–243O |
| Part IXA | The Municipalities | 243P–243ZG |
| Part IXB | The Co-operative Societies | 243ZH–243ZT |
| Part X | The Scheduled and Tribal Areas | 244–244A |
| Part XI | Relations between the Union and the States | 245–263 |
| Part XII | Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits | 264–300A |
| Part XIII | Trade, Commerce and Intercourse within India | 301–307 |
| Part XIV | Services under the Union and the States | 308–323 |
| Part XIVA | Tribunals | 323A–323B |
| Part XV | Elections | 324–329A |
| Part XVI | Special Provisions Relating to Certain Classes | 330–342A |
| Part XVII | Official Language | 343–351 |
| Part XVIII | Emergency Provisions | 352–360 |
| Part XIX | Miscellaneous | 361–367 |
| Part XX | Amendment of the Constitution | 368 |
| Part XXI | Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions | 369–392 |
| Part XXII | Short title, commencement, authoritative text, repeals | 393–395 |
Complete Article Index — Parts I to XXII (Art. 1–395 + insertions)
Every Part, every Chapter, every Article number with its official short title — 490 articles total, 10 per page.
12 Schedules
| Schedule | Content |
|---|---|
| 1st | States and Union Territories — their names and territorial extent |
| 2nd | Salaries/allowances of the President, Governors, Speaker, Judges, CAG, etc. |
| 3rd | Forms of Oaths and Affirmations |
| 4th | Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) per State/UT |
| 5th | Administration & control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes |
| 6th | Administration of Tribal Areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram |
| 7th | The Union List, State List and Concurrent List (subjects of legislation) |
| 8th | The 22 officially recognised languages |
| 9th | Acts & Regulations protected from judicial review (land reform laws etc.) |
| 10th | Anti-Defection Law provisions (52nd Amendment, 1985) |
| 11th | Powers, authority & responsibilities of Panchayats (73rd Amendment) |
| 12th | Powers, authority & responsibilities of Municipalities (74th Amendment) |
Part III — Fundamental Rights (Art. 12–35)
Justiciable rights — directly enforceable in court via Article 32 / 226.
Art. 12 — Definition
Defines "the State" for the purposes of Part III.
Art. 13 — Laws inconsistent with Fundamental Rights
Any law that takes away or abridges a Fundamental Right is, to that extent, void.
Art. 14 — Right to Equality
Equality before the law and equal protection of the laws to every person.
Art. 15 — Prohibition of Discrimination
No discrimination by the State on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Art. 16 — Equality of Opportunity
Equal opportunity in matters of public employment; allows reservation for backward classes.
Art. 17 — Abolition of Untouchability
Untouchability is abolished; its practice in any form is forbidden and punishable.
Art. 18 — Abolition of Titles
No titles other than military/academic distinctions to be conferred by the State.
Art. 19 — Six Freedoms
Freedom of speech & expression, assembly, association, movement, residence, and profession/occupation (subject to reasonable restrictions).
Art. 20 — Protection in Respect of Conviction
No ex-post-facto law, no double jeopardy, no self-incrimination.
Art. 21 — Right to Life and Personal Liberty
No person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.
Art. 21A — Right to Education
Free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 years.
Art. 22 — Protection Against Arrest and Detention
Right to be informed of grounds of arrest, right to consult a lawyer, production before a magistrate within 24 hours; special provisions for preventive detention.
Art. 23 — Prohibition of Traffic in Human Beings and Forced Labour
Bans human trafficking, begar and other forms of forced labour.
Art. 24 — Prohibition of Child Labour
No child below 14 years to be employed in any factory, mine or hazardous work.
Art. 25 — Freedom of Conscience and Religion
Freedom to profess, practise and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality and health.
Art. 26 — Freedom to Manage Religious Affairs
Right of every religious denomination to manage its own affairs and institutions.
Art. 27 — Freedom from Taxation for Religion
No one compelled to pay taxes for promotion of a particular religion.
Art. 28 — Freedom from Religious Instruction
No religious instruction in wholly State-funded educational institutions.
Art. 29 — Protection of Minority Interests
Right of any section of citizens to conserve its distinct language, script or culture.
Art. 30 — Right of Minorities to Establish Institutions
Minorities may establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
Art. 31A–31C — Saving of Certain Laws
Protects laws relating to land reform and certain Directive-Principle-based legislation from being struck down under Articles 14/19.
Art. 32 — Right to Constitutional Remedies
Right to move the Supreme Court directly for enforcement of Fundamental Rights (writs — habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto, certiorari). Called the "heart and soul" of the Constitution by Dr. Ambedkar.
Art. 33 — Powers of Parliament re: Armed Forces
Parliament may restrict Fundamental Rights of armed forces / police personnel.
Art. 34 — Martial Law
Restriction on Fundamental Rights while martial law is in force in an area.
Art. 35 — Legislation to Give Effect to Part III
Power to make laws to give effect to the above rights vests mainly with Parliament, not State Legislatures.
Part IV — Directive Principles of State Policy (Art. 36–51)
Non-justiciable guidelines for governance — not enforceable in court, but "fundamental in the governance of the country."
Art. 38 — State to secure a social order for promotion of welfare of the people.
Art. 39 — Certain principles of policy: equal pay for equal work, equitable distribution of resources, prevention of concentration of wealth.
Art. 39A — Equal justice and free legal aid.
Art. 40 — Organisation of Village Panchayats.
Art. 41 — Right to work, education and public assistance in certain cases.
Art. 42 — Just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief.
Art. 43 — Living wage for workers.
Art. 43A — Participation of workers in management of industries.
Art. 43B — Promotion of co-operative societies.
Art. 44 — Uniform Civil Code for citizens.
Art. 45 — Early childhood care and education for children below 6 years.
Art. 46 — Promotion of educational & economic interests of SCs, STs and weaker sections.
Art. 47 — Duty of the State to raise nutrition level, standard of living and public health.
Art. 48 — Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry; prohibition of cow slaughter.
Art. 48A — Protection and improvement of environment, forests and wildlife.
Art. 49 — Protection of monuments and places of national importance.
Art. 50 — Separation of judiciary from the executive.
Art. 51 — Promotion of international peace and security.
Part IVA — Fundamental Duties (Art. 51A)
Added by the 42nd Amendment (1976); 11th duty added by the 86th Amendment (2002).
- Abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals, institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.
- Cherish and follow the noble ideals that inspired the national struggle for freedom.
- Uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
- Defend the country and render national service when called upon.
- Promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all citizens.
- Value and preserve the rich heritage of the composite culture.
- Protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife.
- Develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
- Safeguard public property and abjure violence.
- Strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity.
- Provide opportunities for education to one's child/ward between 6–14 years (added by the 86th Amendment, 2002).
This page now covers: the Preamble, all 12 Schedules, and a complete article-by-article index of every Part (I–XXII) and every Article, including all inserted articles (e.g. 21A, 239AA, 371A–J) with their official short titles — plus the full text of Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties written out in detail. One honest caveat: the operative legal text of every single sub-clause across all ~450 articles (the full Bare Act, hundreds of pages) is not reproduced verbatim here — only Fundamental Rights/DPSP/Duties are. Tell me any specific Article or Part (e.g. "Article 356 in full" or "Part V — the President, in full") and I'll expand it.
Reservation & the Constitution — Frequently Asked Questions
What is Article 15 of the Indian Constitution?
Article 15 prohibits discrimination by the State on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth, while Article 15(4) and 15(5) allow special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes, SCs and STs, and Article 15(6) allows a 10% EWS (economically weaker sections) reservation.
What is Article 16 of the Indian Constitution?
Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity in public employment. Article 16(4) permits the State to reserve posts for backward classes not adequately represented in services, and 16(4A)/16(4B) extend this to promotions and carried-forward vacancies for SC/ST.
What does the Constitution say about reservation?
Reservation in India draws its constitutional basis mainly from Articles 15(4), 15(5), 15(6), 16(4), 16(4A), 16(4B) and 46 (a Directive Principle promoting the educational and economic interests of weaker sections), along with the 103rd Amendment that introduced EWS reservation.
What is the reservation limit set by the Supreme Court?
In Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992), the Supreme Court capped total reservation at 50%, though some states and later amendments (like the EWS quota) have created exceptions litigated in subsequent cases.
What is the EWS reservation and which Article covers it?
EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) reservation gives a 10% quota to economically disadvantaged citizens not covered by existing SC/ST/OBC reservation. It was added via the 103rd Constitutional Amendment (2019), inserting Articles 15(6) and 16(6).
Which Article of the Constitution deals with Directive Principles and weaker sections?
Article 46, a Directive Principle of State Policy, directs the State to promote the educational and economic interests of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections, and to protect them from social injustice.
