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A Constitution is a body of fundamental principles according to which a state is constituted or governed. It is the document or set of documents that form the basic rules agreed upon by the people on how to govern themselves.
Features of a Constitution :
- It decides the nature of polity of the state. E.g. Preamble of the Indian Constitution describes India as a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic
- A constitution is the rule book for a state. These basic rules are necessary for cooperation among people. Therefore, we can say that the Constitution brings together diverse group of people.
- It provides for the institutions of the state, and defines the relationship between these institutions (for example, between the executive, legislature and judiciary). Eg Indian constitution provides for Separation of Powers i.e. division of powers among different organs of the state
- It specifies basic allocation of power in a society: Constitution contains the procedure of decision making i.e. who will be making the decisions and in what way. For e.g. Indian Constitution, being a democratic polity, provides for a representative style of decision making through various institutions like the Parliament, State Legislature etc.
- It places limits on the exercise of power by the government and sets out the rights and duties of citizens. Eg Fundamental Rights enshrined in the India Constitution
- Constitution provides a common identity to the people of a state and enables them to fulfill their aspirations as a common unit. Eg Indian Constitution gave people from different princely states the identity of Indian citizens
Thus, we can say that Constitution is a holistic and dynamic document which influences political and social aspects of a state.
