HELLO FRIENDS,
TODAY WE ARE GOING TO START OUR SERIES OF GENERAL STUDIES, IN WHICH FIRSTLY WE WILL COVER THE TOPIC ‘POLITY’ (CONSTITUTION OF INDIA).
LET’S START OUR GS-SERIES.
SUBJECT: POLITY
TOPIC: 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 thoughts, 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 ASEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION”.
The term ‘Preamble’ refers to the ‘introduction or preface to the Constitution’.
“Identity card of the Constitution” was the term given to Preamble, by N. A. Palkhivala, an eminent jurist and constitutional expert.
Now, let’s re-write the preamble in other way,
“We, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA,
having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a
SOVEREIGN (India is an independent state, it is free to take its decision, both internal and external.)
SOCIALIST (India is a Democratic Socialist, it has faith in Mixed economy, where both public and private sectors co-exist side by side.)
SECULAR (India provides all religions in our country, the same status and support from the state.)
DEMOCRATIC (possession of supreme power by the people)
REPUBLIC (The Head of the state is always elected directly or indirectly for a fixed period, as in India, the Head of the State, i.e. The President, is elected indirectly for a fixed period of five years.)
and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, Social, Economic and Political;
LIBERTY of thoughts, 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 ASEMBLY
this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY
ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION”.
Key points to remember:-
Three new words, Socialist, Secular and Integrity, were added to the constitution by 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act (1976).
The Preamble is not the part of the Constitution, hence it cannot be amended.
Preamble has been amended only once, in 1976, by 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act.
The Preamble is neither a source of power to legislature nor a prohibition upon the powers of legislature.
It is non-justiciable, that is, its provisions are not enforceable in courts of law.