Constitutional Rights
India is a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC with a Parliamentary system of Governance. After its liberation from the colonial rule in 1947, the Constituent Assembly of the nation adopted the Constitution of India on 26th of November, 1949 that came into force on 26th day of January, 1950.
The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It is a living document, an instrument which makes the government system work. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles and the duties of citizens. It is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world, containing 448 articles in 25 parts, 12 schedules, 5 appendices and 98 amendments (out of 120 Constitution Amendment Bills) and took 2 years 11 months and 18 days to build. The Constitution of India is the modern sacred text of the contemporary India. It reflects the new aspirations and values of the people of India and testifies how the people of India are the supreme masters in all matters concerning the welfare of Indians. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is widely regarded as the architect of the Indian Constitution.
The Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Duties are the sections incorporated in the Constitution of India those prescribe the fundamental obligations of the State to its citizens and the duties of the citizens to the State.
The Fundamental Rights are defined as the basic human rights of all citizens. These rights, defined in Part III of the Constitution, apply irrespective of race, place of birth, religion, caste, creed or sex. They are enforceable by the courts, subject to specific restrictions.
Fundamental Rights were included in the Constitution because they were considered essential for the development of the personality of every individual and to preserve human dignity. The writers of the constitution regarded democracy of no avail if civil liberties, like freedom of speech and religion were not recognised and protected by the State. According to them, “democracy” is, in essence, a government by opinion and therefore, the means of formulating public opinion should be secured to the people of a democratic nation. For this purpose, the constitution guaranteed to all the citizens of India the freedom of speech and expression and various other freedoms in the form of the fundamental rights.
