• Indian Constitution is a very detailed and lengthy constitution.
• It contains about 465 Articles (divided into 25 Parts) and 12 Schedules.
• It is much bigger than the US and French Constitution. 

•  (French Constitution - 89 Articles)
•   (US Constitution - Only 7 Articles)

 2. Drawn From Various Sources:

• Dr.B.R.Ambedkar proudly acclaimed that the Indian Constitution has been framed after ‘ransacking all the known Constitutions of the World

• Structural part of the Constitution derived from the Government of India (GOI) Act of 1935.

• Philosophical part of the Constitution (Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy) derive their inspiration from the American and Irish Constitutions respectively.

• India's constitution is kind of rigid. Some of its provisions are difficult to change, while others are quite simple.
• Article 368 provides for two types of amendments.

1. Special majority of the Parliament.
2. Special majority of the Parliament and with the ratification by half of the total states.

• While the Constitution refers to India as a Union of States, it also provides for a federal structure with a unitary spirit. Scholars described India as a 'Quasi-Federation' (K.C. Wheare), ‘A federation with a unitary bias, or even as ‘a Unitarian federation’

• Features of a federation

• Dual government,
• Division of powers,
• Supremacy of Constitution,
• Rigidity of Constitution,
• Written Constitution,
• Independent judiciary
• Bicameralism.

• Presence of nominal (e.g. President) and real executives (e.g. Prime-Minister)

• Majority party will rule.

• Collective responsibility of the executive to the legislature.

• Membership of the ministers in the legislature.

• Leadership of the prime minister or the chief minister.

• Dissolution of the lower House (Lok Sabha or Assembly).

• Indian parliamentary system is a proper blend of the British principle of parliamentary sovereignty and the American principle of judicial supremacy.

• The Supreme Court can declare the parliamentary laws and Acts as unconstitutional through its power of judicial review.

• The Parliament can amend the major portion of the Constitution through its constituent power.

• Supreme Court is a federal court, the highest court of appeal.
• The guarantor and savior of the fundamental rights of the citizens and the guardian of the Constitution.

• Right to Equality (Articles 14–18),

• Right to Freedom (Articles 19–22),

• Right against Exploitation (Articles 23–24),

• Right to Freedom of Religion (Articles25–28),

• Cultural and Educational Rights (Articles 29–30),

• Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32).

• According to Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, the Directive Principles of State Policy is a ‘novel feature’ of the Indian Constitution.

• In the words of Dr. Ambedkar, 'The Directive Principles are like the "instrument of instructions".

• The Fundamental Duties are, however, not enforceable by the courts.

• 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976 on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee.

• The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2002 added one more fundamental duty.

• The word ‘Secular’ was added to the Preamble of the Indian Constitution by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976.

• India gives special status to no religion. There is no such thing as a state religion of India.

• The voting age was reduced to 18 years from 21 years in 1989 by the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act of 1988.

• All men and women have an equal right to vote. Each adult man and woman above the age of 18 years has the right to vote.

• All citizens have a common uniform citizenship. They are entitled to equal rights and freedoms, and equal protection of the state.”

• Judiciary, legislative, Executive bodies etc.

• National emergency (Article 352);
• State emergency (President’s Rule) (Article 356) and (Article 365)
•  Financial emergency (Article 360).

• 73rd and 74th Amendment Act of 1992.

• The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee ( 1957) suggested - democratic decentralisation in a three-tier structure of panchayati raj. These three tiers of panchayati raj are: