POLITY
• The word “polity” denotes the “form of government” in a country & includes its power, functions &
limitations.
• A Constitution can be defined as “a body of fundamental principles according to which a state is
governed.”(Fundamental law of the land.) The Polity of a Country is based on its Constitution.
PRIME MINISTER
• The Constitution of India was enforced on 26th January 1950, which contained 395 Articles, 8
schedules & 22 parts.
• Guardian of Constitution- Supreme Court of India
• Custodian of Constitution- President of India
• The original Constitution of India was handwritten by Prem Behari Narain Raizada in a flowing italic
style.
• The Constitution was published in Dehradun & photolithographed by the Survey of India. The
original Constitution is hand-written, with each page uniquely decorated by artists Rammanohar
Sinha & Nandalal Bose.
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
• It was in 1934 when the idea of Constituent Assembly for India was put forward for the first time by
M. N. Roy.
• In 1935, the Indian National Congress (INC) demanded a Constituent Assembly to frame, the
Constitution.
• In 1938, Jawaharlal Nehru, on behalf of INC declared that the Constitution of Free India must be
framed without outside interference.
• In 1942, Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of the Cabinet came to India with draft proposal of the British
Government on the framing of an independent Constitution, to be adopted after the World War II.
• On 9th December 1946, the Constituent Assembly of India met for the first time in the Constitution
Hall now popularly referred to as Central Hall of Parliament House.
COMPOSITION OF CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY
• Initially, the number of members was 389. After partition, some of the members went to Pakistan
and the number came down to 299. Out of this, 229 were from the British provinces and 70 were
nominated from the princely states.
• Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha was the first temporary chairman of the Constituent Assembly. Later, Dr.
Rajendra Prasad was elected as the President and its Vice President was Harendra Coomar
Mookerjee. BN Rau was the constitutional advisor.
P ART III – FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
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PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
It is mentioned in the Article 75 of the Indian Constitution that there would be a Prime Minister of the
country who would be appointed by the President.
There is no specific procedure for his election or appointment.
Article 74(1): States that there shall be a Council of Ministers with a Prime Minister at the head to aid
and advise the President.
The Prime Minister is usually a leader of the majority party in Lok Sabha. However, there have been
cases in past where a member of Rajya Sabha was appointed as the Prime Minister.
POWER AND FUNCTIONS
The leader of Country: The Prime Minister of India is the Head of the Government of India.
Portfolio allocation: The Prime Minister has the authority to assign portfolios to the Ministers.
Chairman of the Cabinet: The Prime Minister is the chairman of the cabinet and presides the meetings
of the Cabinet.
Head: The Prime Minister is the head of Nuclear Command Authority, NITI Aayog, Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space(DOS) and Ministry of
Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Chief Advisor: He acts as the chief advisor to the President. PM also communicates all decisions made
by the council of members to the President. (Article 78)
ABOUT OUR PRIME MINISTERS
Since 1947, there have been 14 different Prime Ministers.
Pt. Nehru went on to serve as prime minister for 17 consecutive years, winning four general
elections in the process.
Narendra Modi is the 14th and current prime minister of India, having assumed office on 26 May,
2014.
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ELIGIBILITY
According to Article 84 of the Constitution of India, which sets the principle qualification for member
of Parliament, and Article 75 of the Constitution of India, which sets the qualifications for the minister
in the Union Council of Ministers.
The position of prime minister has been described as primus inter pares (the first among equals).
A prime minister must:
Be a citizen of India.
Be a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.
Be above 25 years of age if they are a member of the Lok Sabha, or, above 30 years of age if they are
a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Not hold any office of profit.
TENURE OF PRIME MINISTER
Once appointed, the Prime Minister holds office so long as he/she enjoys the support of the majority
of members of Lok Sabha. He cannot be removed by the President.
If he loses the majority support in the Lok Sabha, he should resign or the President must dismiss him.
ADMINISTRATIVE AND APPOINTMENT POWERS-PM recommends the appointment of:
Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) Article-324
Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG) Article 148
Chairperson of UPSC Article 316
Chief Information Commissioner of India (CIC)
Chairperson of Finance Commission Article 280
NATIONAL DEFENCE FUND
The National Defence Fund (NDF) was set up the Indian government in 1962, in the aftermath of 1962
Sino-Indian War. The Prime Minister acts as chairperson of the fund's executive committee, while, the
ministers of defence , finance and home act as the members of the executive committee.
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
The post of Deputy Prime Minister of India is not technically a constitutional post, nor is there any
mention of it in an Act of the parliament.
The post is considered to be the senior most in the cabinet after the prime minister and represents
the government in his/her absence.
The first holder of this post was Vallabhbhai Patel.
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
Article 75 of the Indian Constitution deal with the Council of Ministers. They are appointed by the
President on the advice of Prime Minister.
They along with the Prime Minister of India form 15% of the total strength of Lok Sabha.
A Minister ceased to exist as one if he is not a member of either house of Parliament for six
consecutive months.
TYPES OF MINISTERS
Cabinet Ministers—He is present and he participates in every meeting of the Cabinet.
Minister of State with independent charge—He is a Minister of State who does not work under a
Cabinet Minister. When any matter concerning his Department is on the agenda of the Cabinet, he is
invited to attend the meeting.
Minister of State—He is a Minister who does not have independent charge of any Department and
works under a Cabinet Minister. The work to such Minister is allotted by his Cabinet Minister.
Deputy Minister—He is a Minister who works under a Cabinet Minister or a Minister of State with
independent charge. His work is allotted by the Minister under whom he is working.
