In this guide
The Constitution is the one piece of static knowledge that pays in three sections of CLAT. In Current Affairs, passages on elections, federal disputes and new laws ask which Article or amendment is involved. In Legal Reasoning, constitutional principles appear as the rule you apply. And in the news itself, the Constitution is behind a large share of each year's biggest stories.
You do not need a law student's knowledge. You need a clean map: when and how it was made, how it is organised, the thirty or so Articles that keep coming up, and the amendments that changed its shape. This guide gives you that map.
How the Constitution was made
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 9 December 1946 | Constituent Assembly meets for the first time |
| 11 December 1946 | Rajendra Prasad elected President of the Assembly |
| 13 December 1946 | Nehru moves the Objectives Resolution, later the basis of the Preamble |
| 29 August 1947 | Drafting Committee set up, with B.R. Ambedkar as chairman |
| 26 November 1949 | Constitution adopted; now Constitution Day |
| 26 January 1950 | Constitution comes into force; Republic Day |
Two details get asked. First, 26 January was chosen because in 1930 the Congress had marked that date as Purna Swaraj Day, following its Lahore session resolution. Second, a few provisions, including those on citizenship and elections, came into force on 26 November 1949 itself, as Article 394 provides.
As adopted, the Constitution had a Preamble, 395 Articles in 22 Parts, and 8 Schedules. Amendments have since added Articles such as 21A and 51A, new Parts such as IVA and IXA, and four more Schedules, making twelve.
The Preamble
The Preamble declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, and sets out four objectives: justice (social, economic and political), liberty, equality and fraternity. It has been amended once, by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, which added "socialist", "secular" and "integrity".
In Berubari (1960) the Supreme Court said the Preamble was not part of the Constitution. In Kesavananda Bharati (1973) it held that it is. For the leading cases, see constitutional landmarks.
The Parts that matter
| Part | Subject | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| I | The Union and its territory | 1–4 |
| II | Citizenship | 5–11 |
| III | Fundamental Rights | 12–35 |
| IV | Directive Principles of State Policy | 36–51 |
| IVA | Fundamental Duties | 51A |
| V | The Union (President, Parliament, Supreme Court, CAG) | 52–151 |
| VI | The States | 152–237 |
| IX and IXA | Panchayats; Municipalities | 243 onwards |
| XI | Relations between the Union and the States | 245–263 |
| XV | Elections | 324 onwards |
| XVIII | Emergency provisions | 352–360 |
| XX | Amendment of the Constitution | 368 |
Articles worth knowing by number
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| 12 | Definition of "the State" for Fundamental Rights |
| 13 | Laws inconsistent with Fundamental Rights are void |
| 14 | Equality before law and equal protection of laws |
| 15 and 16 | No discrimination; equality of opportunity in public employment |
| 17 | Abolition of untouchability |
| 19 | Six freedoms: speech and expression, assembly, association, movement, residence, profession |
| 20 | Protection in respect of conviction (no double jeopardy, no self-incrimination) |
| 21 | Protection of life and personal liberty |
| 21A | Right to education for children aged 6 to 14 |
| 22 | Protection against arbitrary arrest and detention |
| 25 | Freedom of religion |
| 32 | Right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights |
| 44 | Uniform civil code (Directive Principle) |
| 48A | Protection of the environment (Directive Principle) |
| 72 | President's power to pardon |
| 110 | Definition of a Money Bill |
| 123 | President's power to issue ordinances |
| 143 | Advisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court |
| 226 | Writ jurisdiction of High Courts |
| 280 | Finance Commission |
| 300A | Right to property (a constitutional right, not a Fundamental Right) |
| 324 | Election Commission |
| 352, 356, 360 | National emergency; President's Rule in a state; financial emergency |
| 368 | Power of Parliament to amend the Constitution |
The twelve Schedules
| Schedule | Content |
|---|---|
| First | States and Union Territories |
| Second | Salaries and allowances of constitutional office-holders |
| Third | Forms of oaths and affirmations |
| Fourth | Allocation of Rajya Sabha seats |
| Fifth | Administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes |
| Sixth | Tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram |
| Seventh | Union, State and Concurrent Lists |
| Eighth | Languages (22 at present) |
| Ninth | Laws protected from challenge; added by the 1st Amendment, 1951 |
| Tenth | Anti-defection; added by the 52nd Amendment, 1985 |
| Eleventh | Powers of panchayats (29 subjects); added by the 73rd Amendment |
| Twelfth | Powers of municipalities (18 subjects); added by the 74th Amendment |
Amendments that changed the Constitution's shape
| Amendment | Year | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1951 | Added the Ninth Schedule and new grounds for restricting speech |
| 7th | 1956 | Reorganised states on linguistic lines |
| 42nd | 1976 | Changed the Preamble; added Fundamental Duties; often called a "mini-Constitution" |
| 44th | 1978 | Removed property from Fundamental Rights (now Article 300A); added safeguards on emergencies |
| 52nd | 1985 | Anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule) |
| 61st | 1988 | Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 |
| 73rd and 74th | 1992 | Constitutional status for panchayats and municipalities |
| 86th | 2002 | Right to education (Article 21A) and an eleventh Fundamental Duty |
| 101st | 2016 | Goods and Services Tax; GST Council (Article 279A) |
| 103rd | 2019 | Up to 10% reservation for economically weaker sections |
| 106th | 2023 | One-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies reserved for women |
Where the borrowed features came from
A favourite question type asks the source of a feature. The standard list: parliamentary government and the rule of law from Britain; Fundamental Rights, judicial review and the President as head of the armed forces from the USA; Directive Principles from Ireland; a federation with a strong centre from Canada; the Concurrent List from Australia; suspension of Fundamental Rights during emergency from Germany's Weimar Constitution; Fundamental Duties from the former USSR. Much of the administrative structure came from the Government of India Act, 1935.
A sample CLAT-style passage
The original Constitution spoke of rights, not duties. That changed during the Emergency, when a committee headed by Sardar Swaran Singh recommended that citizens' duties be written into the text. Parliament went further than the committee had proposed, and the 42nd Amendment of 1976 inserted ten duties in a new Part [1], consisting of a single Article, 51A. The idea drew on the constitution of the former Soviet Union.
The duties range widely. Citizens are asked to abide by the Constitution and respect the national flag and anthem, to cherish the ideals of the freedom struggle, to protect the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to develop a scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry. An eleventh duty, added in 2002, requires a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to a child between six and fourteen years of age.
Unlike Fundamental Rights, the duties cannot be enforced directly in a court. They apply only to citizens, while several Fundamental Rights protect foreigners as well. Courts have nevertheless used them to interpret laws, reading a statute that promotes a duty as a reasonable one. Critics have called the list vague; supporters reply that a constitution also has an educative purpose, and that a statement of duties reminds citizens that rights come with obligations.
Q1. Which Part fills [1]?
(a) III (b) IV (c) IVA (d) IXA
Q2. The eleventh Fundamental Duty was added by which amendment?
(a) 42nd (b) 44th (c) 73rd (d) 86th
Q3. Which statement is supported by the passage?
(a) Fundamental Duties can be enforced by a writ under Article 32.
(b) Fundamental Duties apply to citizens and foreigners alike.
(c) Courts have used Fundamental Duties when interpreting laws.
(d) The Swaran Singh Committee recommended exactly ten duties.
Q4. The duty to protect the natural environment has a Directive Principle counterpart, added by the same amendment. Which Article?
(a) 21A (b) 39A (c) 44 (d) 48A
Q5. The idea of Fundamental Duties is generally traced to the constitution of:
(a) Ireland (b) the former USSR (c) Canada (d) Australia
Answers:
- (c) Part IVA contains Article 51A.
- (d) The 86th Amendment (2002) added the duty on education, alongside Article 21A.
- (c) Stated in the third paragraph. (a) and (b) contradict it; (d) is wrong because the passage says Parliament went further than the committee.
- (d) Article 48A. Article 39A is free legal aid, also added in 1976; Article 44 is the uniform civil code.
- (b) Stated in the passage and part of the standard sources list. Ireland is the source of the Directive Principles.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up Articles 32 and 226. The High Court's power is wider in scope; the Supreme Court's is itself a Fundamental Right.
- Calling property a Fundamental Right. It has been a constitutional right under Article 300A since the 44th Amendment.
- Confusing the two 1976 additions. The 42nd Amendment added both the Duties (Part IVA) and new Directive Principles such as 39A and 48A.
- Learning Articles without their Part. Knowing that an Article sits in Part III or Part IV tells you at once whether it is enforceable.
What to do next
- Reproduce the Articles table from memory, one row at a time, until you can do all of it.
- Learn the twelve Schedules in order.
- Learn the amendments table with years.
- Whenever a news story mentions an Article, add the story to your topic sheet next to it.
- Read constitutional rights for CLAT and static GK.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Consortium of National Law Universities website .
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