Class | Subject | Book | Chapter | Session | Questions covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XI | Political Science | Indian Constitution at Work (NCERT) | 10 – The Philosophy of the Constitution | 2026-27 | 11 of 11 |
Chapter at a glance
Topic | Key points |
|---|---|
Political philosophy | Commitment to freedom, equality, social justice, unity in diversity, secularism, democracy — summed up in the Preamble |
Core features | Liberal individualism; social justice (reservations); respect for diversity and minority rights; secularism (principled distance); universal adult franchise; federalism with asymmetry (Arts 370, 371) |
Procedural achievements | Faith in deliberation, accommodation and consensus in the Constituent Assembly |
Criticisms | Unwieldy; unrepresentative; alien/borrowed |
Limitations | Centralised idea of national unity; neglect of gender justice; socio-economic rights in Directive Principles |
Constitution Day | 26 November (adoption of the Constitution in 1949) |
Exercise Questions
The following are certain laws. Are they connected with any value? If yes, then what is the underlying value? Give reasons.
Answer
- Both daughters and sons will have share in the family property.
- There will be different slabs of sales tax on different consumer items.
- Religious instructions will not be given in any government school.
- There shall be no begar or forced labour.
Answer
- Yes — equality (gender justice): sons and daughters are treated equally.
- Yes — social and economic justice: higher taxes on luxury goods and lower ones on necessities reduce the burden on the poor. (It is also an administrative rule.)
- Yes — secularism: the state does not promote any religion through its institutions.
- Yes — human dignity and freedom (right against exploitation).
- equality/gender justice b) economic justice c) secularism d) human dignity, freedom from exploitation
Which of the options given below cannot be used to complete the following statement? Democratic countries need a constitution to
Answer
- Check the power of the government.
- Protect minorities from majority.
- Bring independence from colonial rule.
- Ensure that a long-term vision is not lost by momentary passions.
- Bring social change in peaceful manner.
Answer
“Bring independence from colonial rule” cannot complete the statement. A constitution is usually framed after independence has been won; it is not the means of winning independence.
“Bring independence from colonial rule.”
The following are different positions about reading and understanding Constituent Assembly debates.
Answer
- Which of these statements argues that Constituent Assembly debates are relevant even today? Which statement says that they are not relevant?
- With which of these positions do you agree and why?
- Common people are too busy in earning livelihood and meeting different pressures of life. They can’t understand the legal language of these debates.
- The conditions and challenges today are different from the time when the Constitution was made. To read the ideas of Constitution makers and use them for our new times is trying to bring past in the present.
- Our ways of understanding the world and the present challenges have not changed totally. Constituent Assembly debates can provide us reasons why certain practises are important. In a period when constitutional practises are being challenged, not knowing the reasons can destroy them.
Answer
i. Statement (c) argues that the debates are relevant today. Statement (b) says they are not relevant. (Statement (a) is about the difficulty for ordinary people, rather than about relevance.)
ii. I agree with (c). The debates explain the reasons and values behind the provisions of the Constitution — for example, why we chose secularism, federalism, reservations or universal franchise. Knowing these reasons helps us interpret the Constitution correctly and defend its values when they are challenged. While conditions have changed, many basic challenges — diversity, inequality, democracy — remain. The debates can be made accessible through simple summaries.
- says the debates are relevant; (b) says they are not. I agree with (c): they explain the reasons behind constitutional values, which helps us apply and defend them today.
Explain the difference between the Indian Constitution and western ideas in the light of
Answer
- Understanding of secularism.
- Articles 370 and 371.
- Affirmative action.
- Universal adult franchise.
Answer
a. Secularism. Western secularism means strict separation of state and religion and focuses on individual freedom. Indian secularism follows principled distance: the state may intervene in religion to remove injustice (e.g. ban on untouchability) or support all religions equally, and it protects the rights of religious communities (minority institutions), not just individuals.
b. Articles 370 and 371. Many Western federations treat all units equally (symmetric federalism). India adopted asymmetric federalism: special provisions for some states to respect their history and culture — Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir (abrogated in 2019) and Article 371 for states such as Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and others.
c. Affirmative action. Western liberal constitutions usually emphasise formal equality; affirmative action came later and through policy. The Indian Constitution itself provides reservations for SCs, STs (and later OBCs) in legislatures, jobs and education, to correct historical injustice — showing a commitment to substantive equality.
d. Universal adult franchise. In the West, the right to vote was extended gradually (women got the vote only in the 20th century in many countries). India granted universal adult franchise at once, from the very beginning (1950), to all adults irrespective of literacy, property, gender or caste — showing great faith in ordinary people.
India’s Constitution adopts principled-distance secularism with community rights, asymmetric federalism (Arts 370/371), constitutional affirmative action, and immediate universal adult franchise — unlike Western strict separation, symmetric federalism, formal equality and gradual franchise.
Which of the following principles of secularism are adopted in the Constitution of India?
Answer
- that state will have nothing to do with religion
- that state will have close relation with religion
- that state can discriminate among religions
- that state will recognise rights of religious groups
- that state will have limited powers to intervene in affairs of religions
Answer
(d) and (e). The Indian state recognises the rights of religious groups (e.g. minority educational institutions) and can intervene in religious affairs in a limited way to promote equality and freedom (principled distance). It does not keep total separation (a), nor ally closely with religion (b), nor discriminate among religions (c).
- and (e)
Match the following.
Answer
a. Freedom to criticise treatment of widows | i. Substantive achievement |
|---|---|
b. Taking decisions in the constituent assembly on the basis of reason, not self interest | ii. Procedural achievement |
c. Accepting importance of community in an individual’s life | iii. Neglect of gender justice |
d. Article 370 and 371 | iv. Liberal individualism |
e. Unequal rights to women regarding family property and children | v. Attention to requirements of a particular region |
Answer
- a — iv Liberal individualism
- b — ii Procedural achievement
- c — i Substantive achievement
- d — v Attention to requirements of a particular region
- e — iii Neglect of gender justice
a–iv, b–ii, c–i, d–v, e–iii
This discussion was taking place in a class. Read the various arguments and state which of these do you agree with and why.
Answer
Jayesh: I still think that our Constitution is only a borrowed document.
Saba: Do you mean to say that there is nothing Indian in it? But is there such a thing as Indian and western in the case of values and ideas? Take equality between men and women. What is western about it? And even if it is, should we reject it only because it is western?
Jayesh: What I mean is that after fighting for independence from the British, did we not adopt their system of parliamentary government?
Neha: You forget that when we fought the British, we were not against the British as such, we were against the principle of colonialism. That has nothing to do with adopting a system of government that we wanted, wherever it came from.
Answer
I agree with Saba and Neha.
- Values such as equality, liberty and democracy are universal; they belong to all humanity, and should not be rejected because they were first expressed in the West. India also has its own traditions of equality and tolerance.
- The Constitution makers borrowed thoughtfully and adapted ideas to Indian conditions: parliamentary government was combined with federalism, principled-distance secularism, reservations, special provisions for regions, and Directive Principles. Much of it also grew out of the experience of the national movement.
- As Neha says, the freedom struggle was against colonial domination, not against good ideas; choosing parliamentary government was our own sovereign decision.
So the Constitution is not merely borrowed; it is an Indian document that combined the best ideas from many sources with Indian experience.
Saba and Neha: values like equality are universal, ideas were adapted to Indian needs, and the freedom struggle opposed colonialism, not useful institutions, so the Constitution is not merely borrowed.
Why is it said that the making of the Indian Constitution was unrepresentative? Does that make the Constitution unrepresentative? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer
Answer
Why it is called unrepresentative: the Constituent Assembly was not elected by universal adult franchise. Its members were chosen indirectly by provincial legislatures, which had been elected on a limited franchise (based on property, education, etc.) in 1946.
But the Constitution is not unrepresentative
- The Assembly included members from diverse religions, castes, regions, women and political views; it was broadly representative of Indian society.
- Its members were leaders of the national movement who had the trust of the people.
- Debates were open, wide-ranging and reflected many viewpoints; the public sent suggestions.
- Decisions were taken through deliberation and consensus, not imposed by one group.
- The Constitution has been accepted by the people over decades through elections held under it.
It is called unrepresentative because the Assembly was indirectly elected on a limited franchise, but its diverse membership, open debates, consensus and later popular acceptance make the Constitution representative.
One of the limitations of the Constitution of India is that it does not adequately attend to gender justice. What evidence can you give to substantiate this charge? If you were writing the Constitution today, what provisions would you recommend for remedying this limitation?
Answer
Answer
Evidence
- Matters within the family — such as inheritance and rights over children — were left largely to personal laws, which have often been unequal for women.
- Important socio-economic rights for women (e.g. equal pay for equal work) were placed only in the non-enforceable Directive Principles.
- There was no reservation for women in legislatures in the original Constitution (only added for local bodies in 1992, and for legislatures in 2023).
- Only 15 of 299 members of the Constituent Assembly were women.
Recommended provisions
- An explicit Fundamental Right to gender equality in family matters — inheritance, marriage, divorce and guardianship.
- Reservation of one-third (or more) seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures, effective immediately.
- Enforceable rights to equal pay, maternity benefits and protection from workplace harassment.
- Right to safety and freedom from violence; a constitutional women’s commission with strong powers.
- Gender budgeting at all levels.
Evidence: family rights left to unequal personal laws, equal pay only a Directive Principle, no reservation for women in legislatures originally. Remedies: enforceable gender equality in family law, immediate legislative reservation, equal pay and maternity rights, safety guarantees and gender budgeting.
Do you agree with the statement that “it is not clear why in a poor developing country, certain basic socio-economic rights were relegated to the section on Directive Principles rather than made an integral feature of our Fundamental Rights”? Give reasons for your answer. What do you think are the possible reasons for putting socio-economic rights in the section on Directive Principles?
Answer
Answer
Partly agree. For a poor country, rights such as work, livelihood, health and education are as important as civil liberties; without them, the poor cannot really enjoy freedom.
Possible reasons for placing them among Directive Principles
- Lack of resources: in 1950 the new state lacked the money and capacity to guarantee these rights immediately; making them enforceable would have created promises the state could not keep, and courts would be flooded with cases.
- Gradual realisation: the framers wanted them as goals that the state would progressively achieve as the economy grew.
- Avoiding conflict with other rights: some economic reforms (like land reform) might have clashed with fundamental rights such as property.
- Moral and political obligation: they were meant to guide governments, with voters holding governments accountable.
In practice, courts have since read many socio-economic rights into Article 21 (livelihood, food, shelter), and education became a Fundamental Right (Article 21A), showing that the original choice was a stage, not a final decision.
Partly; they matter greatly for the poor, but limited resources in 1950, the idea of gradual realisation, and fear of unenforceable promises led to placing them in Directive Principles; courts and amendments have since made several of them enforceable.
How did your school celebrate the Constitution Day on November 26th?
Answer
Answer
This is a personal question; a sample answer:
On 26 November, Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas) — the day the Constitution was adopted in 1949 — our school held a special assembly. Students read the Preamble aloud together and took a pledge to uphold the Constitution. There was a talk on Dr B.R. Ambedkar and the Constituent Assembly, followed by a quiz on Fundamental Rights and Duties, a poster competition on constitutional values (justice, liberty, equality and fraternity), and a mock Parliament session by senior students. The day helped us understand why the Constitution matters in our daily lives.
Typical celebrations include reading the Preamble, a pledge, talks on Dr Ambedkar and the Constituent Assembly, quizzes, posters and a mock Parliament.
Topic checklist
- Why study the philosophy of the Constitution
- Core features: individual freedom, social justice, diversity and minority rights, secularism, franchise, federalism
- Procedural achievements
- Criticisms and limitations
- Constituent Assembly debates and their relevance