Important Articles of the Indian Constitution

The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country. When it came into force on 26 January 1950, it had 395 Articles in 22 Parts and 8 Schedules. After many amendments, it now has around 470 Articles in 25 Parts and 12 Schedules, although the numbering still runs up to Article 395 because new Articles are inserted with letters (such as 21A or 243ZH). Questions based on specific Articles are extremely common in UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL and CHSL, state PCS, CLAT and judiciary exams. You do not need to memorise all Articles; about 80 to 100 key Articles cover nearly all exam questions. This note lists them Part by Part with simple explanations so that you understand what each Article does, not just its number.

Quick Facts at a Glance

• Original Constitution: 395 Articles, 22 Parts, 8 Schedules.
• Adopted: 26 November 1949 (celebrated as Constitution Day).
• Came into force: 26 January 1950 (Republic Day).
• Most famous Articles: 14 (equality), 19 (freedoms), 21 (life and liberty), 32 (constitutional remedies), 356 (President's Rule), 368 (amendment).
• Heart and soul of the Constitution: Dr B. R. Ambedkar described Article 32 in these words.

1. The Union and Its Territory (Part I: Articles 1–4)

• Article 1: India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.
• Article 2: Admission or establishment of new States (from outside India).
• Article 3: Formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of existing States by Parliament.

2. Citizenship (Part II: Articles 5–11)

• Articles 5–8: Citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution, including migrants from Pakistan and persons of Indian origin abroad.
• Article 9: Persons voluntarily acquiring foreign citizenship lose Indian citizenship.
• Article 11: Parliament has the power to regulate citizenship by law (leading to the Citizenship Act, 1955).

3. Fundamental Rights (Part III: Articles 12–35)

Note: The Right to Property (Article 31) was removed from Part III by the 44th Amendment (1978) and is now a legal right under Article 300A.

4. Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties (Parts IV and IVA)

• Article 36–37: Definition and nature; DPSPs are not enforceable in courts but are fundamental in governance.
• Article 39A: Equal justice and free legal aid.
• Article 40: Organisation of village panchayats.
• Article 44: Uniform Civil Code for citizens.
• Article 45: Early childhood care and education for children below 6 years.
• Article 48: Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry; prohibition of cow slaughter.
• Article 48A: Protection of environment, forests and wildlife.
• Article 50: Separation of judiciary from executive.
• Article 51: Promotion of international peace and security.
• Article 51A: Fundamental Duties (added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976, on the Swaran Singh Committee's recommendation; now 11 duties).

5. The Union Executive (Part V, Chapter I)

6. Parliament (Part V, Chapter II)

• Article 79: Parliament consists of the President, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
• Article 80–81: Composition of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
• Article 85: Sessions; prorogation and dissolution.
• Article 108: Joint sitting of both Houses.
• Article 110: Definition of Money Bills.
• Article 112: Annual Financial Statement (Budget).
• Article 123: Power of the President to promulgate Ordinances.

7. The Judiciary

• Article 124: Establishment and constitution of the Supreme Court.
• Article 129: Supreme Court to be a court of record.
• Article 143: Advisory jurisdiction (President may seek the Supreme Court's opinion).
• Article 148: Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
• Article 214: High Courts for States.
• Article 226: Power of High Courts to issue writs (wider than Article 32, as it covers legal rights too).

8. States, Local Bodies and Centre-State Relations

• Article 153: Governor of a State.
• Article 163–164: Council of Ministers and Chief Minister of a State.
• Article 213: Ordinance power of the Governor.
• Article 239AA: Special provisions for Delhi.
• Article 243 onwards (Part IX): Panchayats (73rd Amendment, 1992).
• Article 243P onwards (Part IXA): Municipalities (74th Amendment, 1992).
• Article 246: Distribution of legislative powers (Union, State and Concurrent Lists in the Seventh Schedule).
• Article 263: Inter-State Council.
• Article 280: Finance Commission.
• Article 300A: Right to property as a legal right.
• Article 312: All India Services.
• Article 315: Public Service Commissions (UPSC and State PSCs).
• Article 324: Election Commission.
• Article 326: Elections on the basis of adult suffrage.
• Article 338 and 338A: National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; 338B: National Commission for Backward Classes.
• Article 343: Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union.

9. Emergency and Amendment

10. How Article 21 Has Expanded

Article 21 is the best example of how the Supreme Court has expanded rights through interpretation. In Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978), the Court held that any law depriving a person of life or liberty must be "just, fair and reasonable", not merely passed by the legislature. Since then, the Court has read many rights into Article 21, including the right to live with dignity, the right to livelihood, the right to a clean environment, the right to speedy trial, the right to shelter, the right to health and, in Justice K. S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), the right to privacy. This is why Article 21 is often called the most dynamic provision of the Constitution, and why it appears so often in UPSC questions and Mains answers.

11. Memory Tips for Article Numbers

• Group in blocks: 12–35 Fundamental Rights; 36–51 DPSP; 52–78 Union Executive; 79–122 Parliament; 124–147 Supreme Court; 352–360 Emergency.
• Link pairs: Article 72 (President's pardon) and Article 161 (Governor's pardon); Article 123 (President's ordinance) and Article 213 (Governor's ordinance); Article 32 (Supreme Court writs) and Article 226 (High Court writs).
• Use memorable numbers: 356 for President's Rule is easy to remember as "three-five-six, state in a fix".
• Revise with questions: Instead of reading lists, ask yourself, "Which Article deals with ...?" and answer from memory.

12. Practice Questions

1. Which Article abolishes untouchability? Answer: Article 17.
2. Under which Article can the President seek the Supreme Court's advice? Answer: Article 143.
3. Which Article provides for a joint sitting of Parliament? Answer: Article 108.
4. Which Article provides for the Comptroller and Auditor General? Answer: Article 148.
5. Which Article deals with Financial Emergency? Answer: Article 360.
6. Which Article provides for the Inter-State Council? Answer: Article 263.

For UPSC, remember that questions rarely ask the number alone. They usually test what the Article does, its limits and how courts have interpreted it. Use this list as an index, and read the detailed polity notes linked below for deeper understanding.

Schedules at a Glance

Articles are often asked together with Schedules. The Seventh Schedule contains the Union, State and Concurrent Lists; the Eighth lists the 22 scheduled languages; the Tenth contains the anti-defection law; and the Eleventh and Twelfth list the subjects of Panchayats and Municipalities. Revising Articles and Schedules side by side gives a complete map of the Constitution.

Related Notes

• Fundamental Rights Notes for UPSC
• Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties Notes
• Parliament of India Notes
• Constitutional Bodies Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Articles were in the original Constitution?

The original Constitution had 395 Articles in 22 Parts and 8 Schedules.

Which Article is called the heart and soul of the Constitution?

Article 32, the Right to Constitutional Remedies, as described by Dr B. R. Ambedkar.

What does Article 21 provide?

It protects the right to life and personal liberty, which courts have interpreted widely to include many rights such as privacy and a clean environment.

Which Article deals with the Uniform Civil Code?

Article 44 of the Directive Principles.

Which Article deals with President's Rule?

Article 356.

Which Article gives the power to amend the Constitution?

Article 368.

Which Article deals with Money Bills?

Article 110 defines Money Bills.

Which Article provides for the Finance Commission?

Article 280.

Which Article deals with the Election Commission?

Article 324.

Which Article contains Fundamental Duties?

Article 51A, added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976.

Under which Article does the President grant pardons?

Article 72; the Governor's similar power is under Article 161.

Which Article deals with the right to education?

Article 21A, added by the 86th Amendment in 2002, for children aged 6 to 14 years.