PSIR Power 50 – Day 18 Capsule: Salient features of Indian Constitution + Practice Qs

Hello aspirants,

Today’s revision capsule of PSIR optional preparation covers preamble, fundamental rights, DPSPs and Fundamental Duties

There are 9 ten-mark, 7 fifteen-mark, and 3 twenty-mark questions in the last 12 years PYQs

1. WHY THE CONSTITUTION MATTERS

• A 2007 survey (sixtieth Independence Day) showed overwhelming pride in Indian democracy – a direct “cause-and-effect” of the Constitution.
  • Many post-colonial states collapsed into authoritarianism; India, by contrast, became the world’s largest and most vibrant democracy – the fruition of the framers’ vision of rule of law, secularism, democratic governance and fundamental rights.

2. CHALLENGES THE FRAMERS FACED

3. SOURCES THE DRAFTERS DREW UPON

1. Government of India Act 1935 – basic federal-parliamentary skeleton.
2. American Constitution – Fundamental Rights, written charter, judicial review.
3. Irish Constitution – Directive Principles of State Policy.
4. Jawaharlal Nehru’s Objective Resolution (22 Jan 1947) – justice, liberty, equality, fraternity → became the Preamble.

Ideological wells

• Western political modernity (A. R. Desai; Dipesh Chakrabarty’s “political modernity”).
  • Indian National Movement – Gandhian synthesis; B. R. Ambedkar’s liberal-Buddhist link; Left thought (revolutionary communists, Congress socialists); revivalist neo-Vedanta.

Structural colonial build-up

• Indian Councils Acts 1861, 1892, 1909 –> representative germs.
  • Govt-of-India Acts 1919 (dyarchy), 1935 (federalism, provincial autonomy).

Borrowed institutions

• British Westminster – cabinet-parliamentary system.
  • US – entrenched rights & independent judiciary.
  • Irish – non-justiciable DPSP.

4. PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS

5. A BLUEPRINT FOR SOCIAL REVOLUTION

6. THE PREAMBLE – “POLITICAL HOROSCOPE” (K. M. Munshi)

Identity card (N. A. Palkhivala) – adopted in 1949; 42nd Amendment 1976 inserted Socialist, Secular, Integrity.
• “WE, THE PEOPLE” asserts popular sovereignty.
• Declares India Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic.
• Justice – social, economic, political; Liberty; Equality; Fraternity (Ambedkar’s “union of trinity”).
• Keshavananda Bharati 1973: Preamble = part of basic structure.
• M. Hidayatullah: “lays down the pattern of our political society”.

Mosaic of ideologies

• Liberalism – universal adult franchise & speech freedoms.
• Individualism – dignity of the individual.
• Republicanism – sovereignty of the people; Aakash Singh Rathore’s Ambedkar’s Preamble.
• Secularism & multiculturalism – Pratap Bhanu Mehta notes absence of God/state religion.
• Socialism – economic justice, 42nd Amendment.
• Nationalism – unity & integrity.
• Gandhism – implicit ahimsa, village panchayats; Odisha Assembly’s 2020 Ahimsa resolution.

PREAMBLE AS MORAL COMPASS

• Supreme Court: “key to open the minds of the framers”.
  • Guides statutory & constitutional interpretation; inspires legislation.
  • Requires active citizen participation to translate ideals into reality – poverty, inequality, gender bias remain unfinished tasks.

ESSENCE

The Indian Constitution is simultaneously:

• A seamless web of unity, democracy and social revolution (Granville Austin).
• An identity card (Palkhivala) and political horoscope (Munshi) mapping the nation’s destiny.
• A living charter that must guard freedoms (speech, religion, protest) even as new laws and technologies test its limits.

Its success ultimately depends, as Ambedkar suggested, on the people’s commitment to constitutional morality – the daily practice of liberty, equality, fraternity and justice.

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

1. HISTORICAL BACKDROP – THE LONG DEMAND FOR RIGHTS

Constituent Assembly machinery

• Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights – Chair Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Drafting Committee – Chair Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar → inserted rights into Part III.

2. THE SIX LIVE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

The seventh – Right to Property – repealed by 44th Amendment (1978) → now a legal right under Art 300A.

3. WHY THESE RIGHTS MATTER

• Granville S. Austin – rights + DPSP are the “conscience of the Constitution… a seamless web reflecting the aims and aspirations of the people.”
• N. A. Palkhivala – rights are the “anchor … iron framework within which experiments in social and economic changes may be carried out,” allowing diverse ideologies to coexist.

Shield against the State

• Every pre- or post-Constitution law must conform to Part III; non-conforming statutes are void.

4. SCOPE & APPLICATION

• Art 32 – “heart and soul of the Constitution” (Ambedkar) – direct petition to Supreme Court.

5. LIMITATIONS, SUSPENSION & SPECIAL CASES

• Reasonable restrictions (Art 19 clause 2, etc.): sovereignty, security, public order, decency/morality, contempt of court, defamation, incitement.
• Emergencies – Art 358 suspends Art 19; Art 359 suspends court-enforcement of other rights.
• Art 33 – Parliament may curb rights of armed forces / police / intelligence to ensure discipline.

6. IMPACT ON THE ORGANS OF STATE

7. SECULARISM – INDIA’S “PRINCIPLED DISTANCE”

• Sarva Dharma Sambhava (equality of all religions) + Dharma Nirpekshta (state’s equal distance).
• Core Articles: 25, 26, 27, 28 (+ minority rights 29-30; DPSP Art 44 Uniform Civil Code).
• Rajeev Bhargava: Indian secularism lets the State “help or hinder religions… without the impulse to control or destroy them.”
• Enables: state opening temples to Dalits; neutral funding of religious schools; social-justice interventions.

8. “DUE PROCESS” vs “PROCEDURE ESTABLISHED BY LAW”

CONTEMPORARY THREATS TO SPEECH, EXPRESSION & PROTEST

1. Criminal defamation (IPC §§ 499-500).
2. Contempt of court (cases: Prashant Bhushan, Kunal Kamra).
3. Sedition evolution – § 124A IPC → SC suspension 2022 (CJI N. V. Ramana); Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill 2023 §150 (“subversive activities”) – critiques: Apurva Vishwanath, Upendra Baxi, Faizan Mustafa, Gautam Bhatia.
4. Press intimidation (Rights & Risks Analysis Group 2020; Dhaval Patel, Vinod Dua, Hathras).
5. Artistic bans (“Padmaavat”, Wendy Doniger).
6. RTI hurdles; attacks on activists.
7. Online abuse (cases: Gauri Lankesh, Rana Ayyub).
8. NSA / UAPA overreach (Dr Kafeel Khan, Devangana Kalita).
9. Fake-news FIRs (Shehla Rashid, Simranjeet Singh Mann).
10. Internet shutdowns – Kerala HC Faheema Shirin R.K., UN HRC recognition.
11. Protest limits – Shaheen Bagh ruling; scholars Rajeev Bhargava, Menaka Guruswamy defend street dissent.

SEDITION & THE CONSTITUTION

• Constituent Assembly: sedition dropped after K. M. Munshi (“The essence of democracy is criticism of government”) & Bhupinder Singh Mann interventions.
• Colonial § 124A used on Tilak, Gandhi (who called it the “prince among the political sections”).
• Kedar Nath Singh 1962 narrowed to incitement-to-violence; Arup Bhuyan 2011 adopted Brandenburg test.
• Law Commission 2023 wants retention with tweaks; meanwhile BNS §150 broadens offences.

Objections: colonial relic; executive misuse; chilling effect; minority suppression.

RIGHT TO PROTEST – DEMOCRACY’S SAFETY-VALVE

• Derived from Arts 19(1)(a)(b)(c).
• Historical lineage: Gandhian Satyagraha.
• Democratic functions: participatory channel (Rajeev Bhargava); bulwark against authoritarianism (Tom Ginsburg & Aziz Huq); solidarity (Richard Norman).
• Legal restraints: Art 19(3), CrPC §144.
• Judicial defence: Natasha Narwal v. State of Delhi 2021.

9. NEW FUNDAMENTAL & HUMAN RIGHTS JURISPRUDENCE

⬩ Right against climate change

• SC (CJI D. Y. Chandrachud) in Great Indian Bustard case → links climate harms to Arts 14 & 21; calls for comprehensive legislation.

⬩ Right to privacy (K. S. Puttaswamy 2017)

• Nine-judge bench: privacy intrinsic to Arts 21 & 19.
• Alok Prasanna Kumar – core elements: personal autonomy, freedom of choice, control of data.
• Expanded to LGBTQ+ liberty, right-to-die dignity, etc. Analysts Aishwarya Giridhar & Nidhi Singh trace post-verdict growth.
• Foreign parallels: US Privacy Act 1974; Germany’s strict laws post-Nazi surveillance; EU GDPR.

⬩ Private property & Article 31C

• History: 25th Amendment 1971, Kesavananda Bharati 1973, Minerva Mills 1980.
• 2024 nine-judge SC verdict (CJI Chandrachud): original Art 31C survives; only some private assets qualify as “material resources of the community” (7-2 majority).

10. HABEAS CORPUS – “THE LAST LAW”

• Writ power under Art 32 – “heart and soul” (Ambedkar).
• Key pronouncements:
  • K. S. Puttaswamy – essential to rule of law.
  • State of Bihar v Kameshwar Prasad Verma – immediate release from wrongful detention.
  • ADM Jabalpur v. S. Shukla – Justice H. R. Khanna defence of liberty.
• 2018 SC: writ not available during lawful magisterial custody.

11. ARTICLE 32 & RES JUDICATA

• Art 32 writ jurisdiction coexists with Res Judicata (no repeated litigation).
• Daryao v. State of U.P. 1961 & Amalgamated Coalfields 1964: doctrine applies to writs.
• Exceptions: violation of natural justice; change in law/facts; higher-order fundamental rights considerations.

DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY (DPSPs)

1. LOCATION, ORIGIN & CHARACTER

• Part IV, Articles 36-51 – non-justiciable but “fundamental in the governance of the country”.
• Borrowed Irish Constitution ← which drew on the Spanish Constitution.
• Purpose: install social & economic democracy beside the political democracy of Fundamental Rights.

2. CLASSIFICATION & TEXTUAL LIST

3. FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS vs DPSPs – THE DYNAMIC

The Supreme Court uses the Doctrine of Harmonious Construction to give simultaneous effect to both.

4. LANDMARK CASE-LAW TRAJECTORY

5. GOVERNMENT MEASURES REALISING DPSPs

• Right to Education Act 2009 → Art 21A / Art 45
• MGNREGA 2005 → Art 41 right to work
• National Food Security Act 2013 → Art 47 nutrition
• 73rd Amendment 1992 Panchayati Raj → Art 40
• Continuing Uniform Civil Code debates → Art 44

6. NEO-LIBERALISM & DPSPs – SCHOLARLY DIALOGUE

7. UNIFORM CIVIL CODE – POLITICS & THEORY

Historical milestones – Rukhmabai case (1884-88); Constituent Assembly placing UCC in Art 44; Hindu Code Bills 1955-56 (criticised by Madhu Kishwar 1994).

Three debate phases

1. National Integration (post-Partition)
2. Equality before Law (disparities in personal laws)
3. Gender Justice (current) – scholars Flavia Agnes, Martha Nussbaum.

Secularism compatibility – Rajeev Bhargava “principled distance”; Neera Chandhoke democratic equality; Romila Thapar civil/religious demarcation.

Paths forward – Nivedita Menon “outflanking strategy”; Goa model; incremental reforms.

8. FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES (Part IVA, Art 51A)

Features – civic & moral; citizens only; non-justiciable.

Justice J. S. Verma Committee 1999 mapped existing statutes (Representation of People Act, UAPA, PCR Act 1955, etc.) to operationalise duties. Anupama Rao 2003 critiqued over-statist tilt.

9. RIGHTS ↔ DUTIES INTERLOCK

• Justice J. S. Verma: “Human rights can best be realized when the corresponding duties are performed by the State and individuals.”
• Giuseppe Mazzini, The Duties of Man (1860): warning against sole rights rhetoric.
• *Mahatma Gandhi, Hind Swaraj – “Real rights are a result of the performance of duty… The very right to live accrues… only when we do the duty of citizenship of the world.”
• UN 1998 Declaration on Right & Responsibility to promote HR.
• Samuel Moyn (liberal critique): duties rhetoric can veil attempts “to limit the rights of others.

Scholars Index
A. R. Desai | Aakash Singh Rathore | Abhinav Chandrachud | Aishwarya Giridhar | Alok Prasanna Kumar | Anupama Rao | Apurva Vishwanath | Arup Bhuyan | Ashok Kumar Thakur | Aziz Huq | B. R. Ambedkar | Bal Gangadhar Tilak | Benegal Narsing Rau | Bhupinder Singh Mann | Champakam Dorairajan | CJI D. Y. Chandrachud | Devangana Kalita | Dhaval Patel | Dipesh Chakrabarty | Dr Kafeel Khan | Faheema Shirin R.K. | Faizan Mustafa | Flavia Agnes | Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) | Gauri Lankesh | Gautam Bhatia | Giuseppe Mazzini | Granville Austin | Govind Ballabh Pant | I. C. Golak Nath | Justice H. R. Khanna | I. R. Coelho | James Chiriyankandath | James Manor | Jawaharlal Nehru | Justice J. S. Verma | K. M. Munshi | K. T. Shah | Kedar Nath Singh | Kesavananda Bharati  | Louise Tillin | Maneka Gandhi | Manoj Mate | Martha Nussbaum | Menaka Guruswamy | Justice M. Hidayatullah | N. A. Palkhivala | Natasha Narwal | Neera Chandhoke | Nidhi Singh | CJI N. V. Ramana | Nivedita Menon | Prashant Bhushan | Pratap Bhanu Mehta | Rajeev Bhargava | Rana Ayyub | Richard Norman | Romila Thapar | Samuel Moyn | Simranjeet Singh Mann | Sohrabuddin Sheikh | Tom Ginsburg | Upendra Baxi | Wendy Doniger

Practice Questions (Write before 4 p.m.)

Question 1. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution reflects itself as a ‘social contract’. Elucidate. [2022/10m]

Question 2. The Constitution of India is the ‘cornerstone of a nation’ (Granville Austin). Analyze. [2023/15 m]

Question 3. Constitutionally reconciling the Fundamental Rights with the Directive Principles of State Policy has led to frequent amendments of the Constitution and judicial interventions.” Comment. [2021/20m]

📌 Model answers drop this evening on the Telegram channel: https://t.me/psirbyamitpratap – keep notifications on.

See you tomorrow on Day 19. Keep practicing!

—Amit Pratap Singh & Team

A quick note on submissions of copies and mentorship

• 2025 Mains writers: Cohort 1 of O-AWFG started on 12 June and ATS on 15 June. The above practice set will serve as your revision tool, just do not miss booking your mentorship sessions for personalised feedback especially for starting tests. Come with your evaluated test copies.
• 2026 Mains writers – keep uploading through your usual dashboard. Act on the feedback and improve consistently.
• Alternate between mini-tests (O-AWFG) and full mocks (ATS) has been designed to tackle speed, content depth, and structured revision—line-by-line evaluation pinpoints your weaknesses and errors. Follow your PSIR O-AWFG & ATS schedule and use the model answers to enrich your content, as rankers recommended based on their own success.