Important Articles

It is not expected that all the articles will be remembered by every individual. But it is important to have a fair idea about important articles which are a little more important and successfully represent the spirit and focus of the constitution of India. Initially, when the constitution was formed, there were 395 articles and 22 parts in total. After many years, with many constitutional amendments, that number has now become 470 articles and 25 parts, 12 Schedules, and 5 appendices.

Must-Know Articles

Some of the must-know articles of the constitution of India are as follows;

 Article 12-35

These articles focus on fundamental rights and the fundamental rights have six main rights which are the right to equality, right to freedom, right to freedom of religion, right against exploitation, cultural and educational rights, and right to constitutional remedies.

Article 36-51

In this segment, the directive principles of the state policy are mentioned in detail. The principles have their roots in the constitution of Ireland and the Spanish constitution as well. All the policies which are put into force, are guided by these principles.

Article 51 A

In this section of the constitution, all the different duties of the citizens are mentioned. All fundamental duties which each citizen must obey are mentioned here and every citizen must have this sense of responsibility and abide by these duties stated in the constitution.

Article 343

Article 343 states that there is an official language of the Union and based on the Devanagari script, it is stated that Hindi is the chosen language. It was decided by this article that Hindi will be the language of choice for multiple official purposes and international forms.

Article 356

According to article 356, if the President is not satisfied with the states’ governance, and a report is conveyed to the President that the governing body is not respecting the spirit of the constitution and is making unconstitutional actions, the president, now in respect of the state along with the article 356, has complete power (as stated in article 365) to call it a situation of emergency by stating that the accused government body is not functioning properly and taking extreme unconstitutional actions. After the suspension of the state government, President’s rule takes over, where the centre gets the power to directly rule the concerned state and the Governor becomes the constitutional head.

Article 370

This article is one of the more recent ones to come up into the limelight. On August 5, 2019, article 370 was scrapped, and thus, it paved the way for the emergence of two new Union territories of India in the form of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The previously autonomous law-making for the permanent residents of this area was scrapped and thrust upon the special powers of Jammu and Kashmir.

Article 395

This article repeals the Government of India Act, of 1935 and the Independence Act of 1947. As far as case laws and landmark judgments are concerned, this article has very special importance in the constitution of India.

Special Provision for States

Article 371

Special provisions for states are given to 12 states of India as per the constitution. These states are; Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Gujarat, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Karnataka, and Goa.

Conclusion

While there are so many articles in the constitution of India and the number of articles is increasing with time as new amendments are now being approved and then added to the constitution. However, some articles hold greater importance in terms of relevance and popularity. Thus, it is essential for citizens to know the little more important and more relevant than others and successfully highlight the salient features of the constitution. It is important to have a fair idea about those articles that represent the spirit and focus of the constitution of India. Initially, when the constitution was formed, there were 395 articles and 22 parts in total. After many years, with many constitutional amendments, that number has now become 470 articles and 25 parts, 12 Schedules and 5 appendices and with time, likely, these numbers will only grow.