The Constitution of India is the supreme law of the Republic of India, a comprehensive written document that serves as the fundamental legal framework for governance. It is the longest written national constitution in the world. The Constitution's origin lies in the need for a governing structure after independence, and it was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, coming into force on January 26, 1950. This act established India as a sovereign democratic republic, replacing the Indian Independence Act 1947 and the Government of India Act 1935.
The Constitution works by establishing a federal parliamentary system with a clear separation of powers among three branches: the Executive, the Legislature (Parliament), and the Judiciary. It contains 470 Articles grouped into 25 Parts and 12 Schedules. Key provisions include Part III (Articles 12 to 35), which guarantees Fundamental Rights like the Right to Equality (Article 14) and the Right to Life and Personal Liberty (Article 21). The mechanism for change is outlined in Article 368, which grants Parliament the power to amend the Constitution.
The Constitution connects directly to institutions like the Supreme Court (established by Article 124) and the Parliament (Articles 79 to 122). A crucial concept is the Basic Structure doctrine, established in His Holiness Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru & Ors. v. State of Kerala & Anr. in 1973, which held that Parliament's power to amend the Constitution under Article 368 does not extend to altering or destroying its fundamental features. As of March 2026, the Constitution has been amended 106 times. The most recent significant change was the 106th Amendment Act, 2023, which introduced a one-third reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, while the core principles of constitutional supremacy and the Basic Structure remain unchanged.