Indian Constitution

📚 This topic overlaps across exams — read our in-depth, shared write-up: Fundamental Rights (Articles 12–35) →

📜 Constitutional Framework

Nature of the Indian Constitution, its constitutional development, salient features, the Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy and their relationship, Fundamental Duties, the constitutional amendment procedure, and the Basic Structure doctrine (from Kesavananda Bharati onward).

🏛️ Structure & Functions of Government

The Legislature (types — unicameral/bicameral), the Executive under a parliamentary system, and the Judiciary, including judicial review and judicial activism as tools of constitutional interpretation.

⚖️ Centre-State Relations

Distribution of powers — legislative (Union/State/Concurrent Lists), administrative and financial relations between Centre and States.
Constitutional bodies: the National Human Rights Commission, the Right to Information Act framework, and the Lokpal & Lokayukta anti-corruption architecture.
Reform committees on Centre-State relations: the Rajamannar Committee, the Sarkaria Commission, and the M.M. Punchhi Commission.
Unitary vs federal features of the Constitution, India's political party system, recognition norms for National/State parties, and electoral reforms including the Anti-Defection Law (Tenth Schedule).

🏙️ Decentralisation & Local Self-Government

The shift from centralisation to decentralisation, the Community Development Programme, the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee and Ashok Mehta Committee recommendations, and their culmination in the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts (1992) establishing Panchayati Raj and Municipal governance, along with their implementation record.

💡 Key Facts

Fundamental Rights are justiciable; Directive Principles are not, but Article 37 still makes them "fundamental in the governance of the country."
73rd & 74th Amendments (1992) established Panchayati Raj and Municipal governance respectively — trace this back to the Balwant Rai Mehta and Ashok Mehta Committees.
Sarkaria Commission (1983) and Punchhi Commission (2007) both reviewed Centre-State relations — know what each specifically recommended, not just the names.
This is tested alongside AP History & Culture in the same Mains paper — plan revision jointly.
Group 2 needs solid fundamentals here, not Group 1's depth — prioritise the constitutional bodies (Lokpal/Lokayukta, RTI, NHRC) and Centre-State relations, which are distinctly Group-2-syllabus items.

🔖 60-Second Revision

Constitution basics: Preamble, Rights, DPSPs, Duties, Basic Structure.
Government structure: legislature types, executive, judicial review/activism.
Centre-State: powers distribution, Sarkaria/Punchhi/Rajamannar Committees.
Decentralisation: Balwant Rai Mehta & Ashok Mehta → 73rd/74th Amendments.
Also know: NHRC, RTI, Lokpal & Lokayukta, Anti-Defection Law.