✨ FCI Recruitment – General Awareness & Current Affairs
📜 Constitution of India – In‑Depth Study Notes
Target exam: IIT‑JEE / Competitive exams (Engineering, Management, MBA, B.Com, etc.)
Exam‑style: Questions often test dates, articles, amendments, Judicial interpretations, and current affairs (e.g., recent amendments, Supreme Court judgments).
1. Overview
| Item | Key Point | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Drafting | Constituent Assembly (CA) formed | 9 Jan 1946 |
| First Draft | Draft Constitution (Drafting Committee) | 19 Dec 1947 |
| Adoption | “The Constitution of India” adopted | 26 Jan 1949 |
| Enactment | Constitution comes into force | 26 Jan 1950 |
| Current Status | 104th Amendment (as of 2024) |
2. Structure of the Constitution
| Part | Contents | Key Articles |
|---|---|---|
| Preamble | Purpose & values | N/A |
| Part I | Union and its Territory | Art 1 |
| Part II | Citizenship | Art 5–11 |
| Part III | Fundamental Rights | Art 12–35 |
| Part IV | Directive Principles | Art 36–51 |
| Part V | Fundamental Duties | Art 51A |
| Part VI | The Union | Art 52–151 |
| Part VII | The States | Art 152–237 |
| Part VIII | Centre–State Relations | Art 237–250 |
| Part IX | Union Territories | Art 251–263 |
| Part X | Panchayats & Municipalities | Art 263–311 |
| Part XI | Local Self‑Governments | Art 312–329 |
| Part XII | Finance, Property, etc. | Art 330–342 |
| Part XIII | Trade, Commerce & Inter‑State Relations | Art 343–351 |
| Part XIV | Services | Art 352–360 |
| Part XV | Elections | Art 361–371 |
| Part XVI | Official Languages | Art 371–374 |
| Part XVII | Misc. | Art 375–392 |
| Part XVIII | Misc. | Art 393–397 |
| Part XIX | Misc. | Art 398–403 |
| Part XX | Constitution of the Union & States | Art 401–452 |
| Part XXI | Special Provisions | Art 452–452A |
| Part XXII | Amendment Process | Art 368 |
| Part XXIII | Transitional & Repealing | Art 453–452A |
3. Fundamental Rights (Art 12–35)
| Right | Article | Key Judicial Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Equality before law | Art 14 | U.P. vs. State of U.P. (1978) |
| Equality in opportunities | Art 15 | Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) |
| Freedom of speech & expression | Art 19(1)(a) | Kedar Nath vs. State of UP (1975) |
| Freedom of assembly | Art 19(1)(b) | A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras (1950) |
| Freedom of movement | Art 19(1)(c) | Joginder Singh v. State of Punjab (1975) |
| Freedom of residence & property | Art 19(1)(d) | State of Rajasthan v. Shankar Singh (1971) |
| Right to life & personal liberty | Art 21 | G. P. Singh vs. State of UP (1971) |
| Right to education | Art 21A | Madhya Pradesh vs. Union of India (2011) |
| Right to information | Art 21D | Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2011) |
| Right to privacy | Art 21 | Justice K.S. Puttaswamy vs. Union of India (2017) |
Tricky Point: The Basic Structure Doctrine (Art 368) – Supreme Court can strike down amendments that alter the Constitution’s “basic structure” (e.g., “supremacy of Parliament” or “separation of powers”).
4. Directive Principles (Art 36–51)
| Principle | Article | Practical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Welfare state | Art 38 | B.R. Patnaik vs. State of Orissa (1979) |
| Social justice | Art 39 | R. J. Singh vs. State of UP (1975) |
| Equal pay for equal work | Art 39A | B. V. Satyanarayana vs. State of Andhra Pradesh (1977) |
| National economy | Art 40 | B. N. Srikrishna vs. State of Orissa (1981) |
| Public health & sanitation | Art 41 | V. P. Gupta vs. State of UP (1975) |
| Housing & livelihood | Art 42 | V. R. Krishna vs. State of Karnataka (1964) |
| Education (basic) | Art 45 | B.N. Srikrishna vs. State of Orissa (1981) |
| Protection of |