Imagine A Game Without The Rules

CLASS 8TH - CIVICS - CHAPTER - THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION
Introduction:
❖ Imagine a game without the rules.
∴ We can say that rules are the Fundamental for the game to be successful.
Introduction:
❖ Similarly a society is also like football team Laws are required to govern the society.
A written document in which we find such rules is called a constitution.
❖ What we are going to study in this chapter?

➢ Need of a constitution.
➢ The Indian Constitution: Key features
■ Federalism
■ Parliamentary form of government
■ Separation of powers
■ Fundamental Rights
■ Secularism
Why Does a Country Need a Constitution - I
❖ Relation between constitution and Democracy.
❖ The constitution serves several purposes.
I. It lays out certain ideals that from the basis of the kind of country that we as citizens aspire to
live in.
● Helps to arrive at a common consensus.

● Constitution upholds the idea, values and beliefs of citizen of the country.
e.g. Story of Nepal.

Why Does a Country Need a Constitution - I
❖ Story of Nepal ● King Gyanendra taking over the democratic setup established
in 1990.
● Protest [Maoist + Army + Citizens]
Finally king accepted the government by people and in 2008

Nepal became a democracy after demolishing the monarchy.
❖ People wrote a new constitution for democracy.
❖ Why there was a protest in Nepal? Why did the people wrote a new constitution?
➢ They wanted a constitution which reflect the ideals of the country that they want Nepal
to be.
➢ Nepal Monarchy to democracy = Need to change all its constitutive rules.
Why Does a Country Need a Constitution - II
II. Constitution defines the nature of a country’s political system.
➔ What type of political system should be there [Democracy, Dictatorship, Monarchy etc]
E.g. Nepal’s old and new constitution.
➔ It also provides the guidelines that govern decision making within these societies.
III. Constitution provides us the safeguard against the powerful authority.

➔ Who is powerful? Why safeguard is required?
➔ E.g. example of the classroom situation.
Why Does a Country Need a Constitution - II
❖ Relate the story of classroom with government.
❖ We can say that political leaders may misuse their authority.

∴ Constitution lays down rules that guard us.
E.g. Fundamental Rights
Why Does a Country Need a Constitution - III
IV. Constitution ensure that a dominant group does not use its power against the less powerful
people or groups.
कैसे कर सकते हैं?
❖ Majority should not exclude the interest of minorities.
Tyranny of majority should be checked.

E.g. Religious dominant
Members of one community dominating others within the same community.
V. Constitution save us from ourselves.

How?
➔ At time we might take some decisions over an issue that might go against our larger interest.
E.g. One may wish for dictatorship [Frustration from party politics] but in long run it is against
our decisions.
❖ Now let us see the case with Indian Constitution.

The Indian Constitution: Key Features
❖ Indian National movement and the imagination of free India.
But how did we Democracy because we suffered a lot under the

achieved this? authoritarian rule of colonial government.
Equal participation in decision making.
This was done not by one person but by a group of around 300 people.
Constituent Assembly
The Indian Constitution: Key Features
Constituent Assembly
❖ Body of leaders had a huge task of framing the constitution of the country.
Working over these challenges constituent While framing the constitution they had many
assembly gave a visionary document. challenges in front of them. e.g. Diversity,
● [Diversity + National Unity] Partition, Integration of princely state etc.
● Concern for Socio-economic development
❖ Key features of the Indian Constitution.
➢ Federalism
➢ Parliament from the government
➢ Separation of power
➢ Fundamental Rights
➢ Secularism
Federalism:
❖ Existence of more than one level of government in the country.
Central Government
State
Government
Local
Government
❖ Need of Federalism?
➢ Vast number of communities Then how can a single person/level of government can
govern all the communities.
∴ It is important to have another level of government. [Federalism]
Federalism:
❖ Federalism in India
➢ States enjoy autonomy in exercising power
but at the same time they follow the laws of
the central government.
❖ Constitution contain lists that specify the law making power of each tier.
It also specify the source of money for each tier of government.

e.g. Union list, state list and concurrent list.
❖ Under Federalism the states are not merely agent of the Federal Government but draw their
authority from the constitution as well.
Parliamentary form of Government:
❖ What do you understand by heading?
➢ A form of a government based on parliament [Elected representative]
Constitution of India guarantees universal adult

suffrage. [voting right to all]
● Whereby people of India directly elected their

representatives.
● At the same time they can contest in elections
also.
❖ Under parliamentary form of government people elect their representatives.

These representatives are accountable to the people.
Separation of Powers:
❖ What do you understand by heading? Dividing/Sharing of powers. क्यों? कैसे? कहा?
There are three organs of government

Legislature Executive Judiciary
Group of people responsible for System of court in the country.

Our elected representatives implementing laws. E.g. Supreme court and High
E.g. M.P., MLA E.g. Police, P.M. etc court.
❖ Power is shared among these three organs. Why?

Separation of Powers:
❖ In order to prevent the misuse of power by any one organ of the government, constitution
says that each of these organs should exercise different power.
This develops system of Checks and Balances
Balance of Power
❖ Point to learn
➢ The confusion between the ‘state’ and ‘government’
Fundamental Rights:
❖ Fundamental Rights are referred as the “Conscience” of the Indian Constitution.
❖ Learning from the past experiences of the Colonial Rule.
Constitution makers wanted to ensure a

set of written rights that would guard against
the misuse of state.
∴ Fundamental Rights protect citizens against the arbitrary and absolute exercise of power by
state as well as other individuals.
❖ Fundamental Rights guarantees the right of minorities against the majority.

Fundamental Rights:
Right to Freedom
Right to Equality Right against

exploitation
Fundamental
Rights
Right to Freedom Right to Constitutional

of Religion Remedies
Cultural and
Educational Rights
Fundamental Rights:
❖ Dr. Ambedkar’s observation about Fundamental Rights.
Two fold objectives = ● Every citizens must be in a position to claim those rights.
● These rights must be binding upon every authority that has got
the power to make laws.
❖ Indian Constitution also have a section called Directive Principles of state policy.
➢ The section is included to ensure greater social and economic reforms, and to guide to
the independent Indian state.
E.g. Living wages for workers.
Secularism:
❖ Meaning of Secular?
➢ Not connected with religious matter. Then what is secular state
A state which does not officially promote any

one religion as the state religion.
❖ No religion is given extra benefits nor any religion is ignored on any matter.
❖ Conclusion of the chapter

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
Que 1. Need of constitution? [Specific and in general also]
Que 2. What are the key features of Indian Constitution?
Que 3. Constituent assembly?
Que 4. Explanation of the terms -
1. Federalism
2. Parliamentary form of government
3. Separation of powers [Executive, Legislature, Judiciary]
4. Fundamental Rights
5. Secularism
6. Directive principles of state policy
7. Sovereign
8. Human Trafficking

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CLASS 8TH - CIVICS - CHAPTER - THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

A written document in which we find such rules is called a constitution.

❖ What we are going to study in this chapter?

● Helps to arrive at a common consensus.

e.g. Story of Nepal.

● Protest [Maoist + Army + Citizens]

Finally king accepted the government by people and in 2008

❖ People wrote a new constitution for democracy.

III. Constitution provides us the safeguard against the powerful authority.

❖ Relate the story of classroom with government.

❖ We can say that political leaders may misuse their authority.

Tyranny of majority should be checked.

V. Constitution save us from ourselves.

❖ Now let us see the case with Indian Constitution.

But how did we Democracy because we suffered a lot under the

Equal participation in decision making.

It also specify the source of money for each tier of government.

Constitution of India guarantees universal adult

● Whereby people of India directly elected their

❖ Under parliamentary form of government people elect their representatives.

There are three organs of government

Group of people responsible for System of court in the country.

❖ Power is shared among these three organs. Why?

This develops system of Checks and Balances

Constitution makers wanted to ensure a

❖ Fundamental Rights guarantees the right of minorities against the majority.

Right to Equality Right against

Right to Freedom Right to Constitutional

A state which does not officially promote any

❖ Conclusion of the chapter

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