{"id":3499,"date":"2026-08-11T22:11:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/parliamentary-system\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T02:57:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:27:55","slug":"parliamentary-system","status":"publish","type":"psir_note","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/parliamentary-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Parliamentary System"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PSIR Notes<\/a>\u203a<\/span>I-B Indian Government and Politics<\/a>\u203a<\/span>Parliamentary System<\/span><\/div>\n
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Paper I \u00b7 Indian Government and Politics<\/div>\n

Parliamentary System<\/h1>\n
Syllabus \u00b7 Paper I-B \u00b7 3<\/b> \u2014 Salient Features of the Indian Constitution : The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System<\/span> and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Parliamentary Choice & the Mixed Design<\/h3>\n

Three organs, one architecture<\/h4>\n

Legislature<\/span> \u2192 makes law, represents people, controls the executive. Executive<\/span> \u2192 implements law, governs administration, stays accountable to the legislature. Judiciary<\/span> \u2192 interprets the Constitution, protects rights, reviews legislative and executive action.<\/p>\n

India did not copy the British model mechanically: it adopted the Westminster system but placed it inside a written Constitution, federal structure, universal adult franchise, judicial review, Fundamental Rights and the basic structure doctrine<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Two models \u00b7 why Parliamentary<\/h4>\n

Legislature<\/span> \u2190 Latin lex<\/em>, a legal rule of general application. Parliamentary<\/span> (India): executive emerges from and is accountable to the legislature, with overlapping membership. Presidential<\/span> (USA): executive and legislature separately elected, rigid separation, no overlap.<\/p>\n

The Constituent Assembly<\/span> preferred the parliamentary system for: familiarity with British practice; responsible<\/em> government over merely stable<\/em> government; fear of authoritarian drift under a powerful presidential executive; accommodation of caste, linguistic, religious and regional diversity; continuous legislative control over ministers; suitability for universal adult franchise.<\/p>\n

B.R. Ambedkar<\/span> preferred responsibility over stability. K.M. Munshi<\/span> backed executive\u2013legislature overlap to strengthen the effectiveness of government. Jawaharlal Nehru<\/span> valued its method of argument, discussion and deliberation.<\/p>\n

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“\u2026an infant democracy cannot afford” constant conflict between legislature and executive.<\/p>\n

A.K. Ayyar<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The system aimed to provide “strength with democracy”.<\/p>\n

Granville Austin<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Support & critique<\/h4>\n

Mahatma Gandhi<\/span> (in Hind Swaraj<\/em>) criticised parliamentary government, favouring self-sufficient, non-hierarchical villages as units of direct democracy. B.R. Ambedkar<\/span> saw villages as caste-bound ghettos and backed parliamentary government for representation, collaboration and responsibility. Penderel Moon<\/span> feared parliamentary democracy might fail in a heterogeneous society; Granville Austin<\/span> rejected this pessimism \u2014 universal suffrage and direct representation integrate citizens into one democratic framework.<\/p>\n

The British Imprint \u2014 and what was borrowed from elsewhere<\/h3>\n

Colonial experience and long familiarity with parliamentary institutions left the deepest single mark. Features traceable to the British Constitution:<\/p>\n

Parliamentary government \u00b7 Cabinet system \u00b7 Prime-Ministerial responsibility \u00b7 Rule of law \u00b7 Legislative procedure \u00b7 Single citizenship \u00b7 Parliamentary privileges \u00b7 Bicameralism \u00b7 Prerogative writs<\/p>\n

The clearest imprint is the parliamentary system itself: a nominal head in the President and a real executive in the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, with the Cabinet answerable to the Lok Sabha.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Source<\/th>\nWhat India drew from it<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
United States<\/span><\/td>\nFundamental Rights; judicial review; independent judiciary; impeachment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ireland<\/span><\/td>\nDirective Principles; nomination to the Rajya Sabha; the method of electing the President<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Canada<\/span><\/td>\nA federation with a strong Centre<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Government of India Act, 1935<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nFederal scheme; the Governor; judiciary; public service commissions; emergency provisions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

The examiner\u2019s point<\/span><\/p>\n

India adapted<\/span> rather than copied. Unlike Britain it chose a written Constitution, judicial review, federalism and justiciable Fundamental Rights \u2014 the British imprint was joined to Indian concerns of diversity, justice and social transformation.<\/p>\n

UPSC 2023 \u00b7 10m<\/span>Imprint of the British Constitution on the Indian Constitution.<\/span>Answer<\/a><\/div>\n

Controlled Overlap, Not Rigid Separation<\/h3>\n

India’s organs operate through a delicate constitutional balance. Parliament<\/span> provides representation, law-making and accountability, but faces decline through disruptions, weak committees, criminalisation and executive dominance. The executive<\/span> gives direction and coordination, but excessive prime-ministerial and PMO centralisation can weaken Cabinet government and parliamentary scrutiny. The Governor<\/span> and Lieutenant Governor<\/span> show the tension between national unity and federal autonomy. The judiciary<\/span> protects the Constitution, Fundamental Rights and federal balance, but activism must not become overreach.<\/p>\n

The Indian design is not rigid separation of powers \u2014 it is a system of controlled overlap, constitutional accountability and mutual restraint<\/span>. The health of the democracy depends on Parliament regaining deliberative strength, the executive respecting collective responsibility, the Governor acting as a constitutional sentinel, committees becoming effective sites of scrutiny, the judiciary protecting rights without replacing elected institutions, and all organs preserving the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.<\/p>\n

Previous<\/em>Directive Principles<\/b><\/a>Next<\/em>Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine<\/b><\/a><\/div>\n

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