Our Constitution — Important Questions

Parliamentary

The Indian Constitution provides for a Parliamentary form of Government. In this system, the Executive (Cabinet) is responsible to the Legislature (Parliament). The Cabinet remains in power as long as it enjoys the confidence of the legislature. If it loses confidence, it has to resign. This is different from a Presidential system where the President is directly elected and not dependent on legislative confidence. India cannot have Monarchical or Dictatorial systems as it is a democratic republic.

Single citizenship

The Indian Constitution provides for single citizenship. This means all citizens have only Indian citizenship, not separate state citizenship. This was done to promote national unity and prevent regionalism. Citizens can move freely from one state to another and enjoy the same rights everywhere in India. Dual or multiple citizenship would mean having citizenship of different countries, while state citizenship would create divisions within the country, which goes against the unity India wanted to achieve.

6

Currently, there are 6 Fundamental Rights in the Indian Constitution. Originally, there were 7 Fundamental Rights, but the Right to Property was removed through the 44th Amendment Act in 1978 and is now a legal right under Article 300A. The six current Fundamental Rights are: Right to Equality, Right to Freedom, Right against Exploitation, Right to Freedom of Religion, Cultural and Educational Rights, and Right to Constitutional Remedies. These rights are essential for human dignity and democratic functioning.

Article 32

Article 32 deals with the Right to Constitutional Remedies. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar called this the 'Heart and Soul' of the Constitution because it allows citizens to directly approach the Supreme Court when their Fundamental Rights are violated. Article 21 deals with the Right to Life and Liberty, Article 19 covers various freedoms like speech and expression, and Article 14 provides for equality before law. Article 32 is special because it provides the mechanism to enforce all other rights.