The Indian Constitution came into existence on 26th November 1949. The Constituent Assembly of India drafted the constitution considering features of constitutions of the other countries as well as from the Government of India Act 1935. There are various sources of the Indian constitution for which some features of it are borrowed.
With 448 articles in 25 parts, 12 schedules, 5 appendices, and 98 amendments, the Constitution of India is the longest written constitution of any independent country in the world. The Indian Constitution was not typeset or printed but was handwritten and calligraphed in both English and Hindi by Prem Behari Narain Raizada. The original copies of the Constitution are now kept in special helium-filled cases in the Library of the Parliament of India.
The Indian Constitution is unique in its contents and spirit. Although it had picked up many best features from other constitutions of the world. The constitution of India has several salient features that distinguish it from the constitutions of other countries.
British Constitution
1.Parliamentary government
2.Nominal Head President
3.Cabinet system
4.Rule of Law
5.Bicameralism
United States of America
1.Impeachment of the president
2.Removal of Supreme Court and High court judges
3.The preamble of the constitution
4.Judicial review
Canada
Federation with a strong Centre
Appointment of state governors by the Centre
Advisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court
Ireland
Directive Principles of State Policy
Method of election of the president
The constituent assembly assessed many constitutions and drafted one taking all the provisions that best applied to India’s diversity. Dr. B R Ambedkar rightly claimed it to be framed after “ransacking” the known constitution.