Articles 1 to 4 of the Indian Constitution

This video provides a detailed explanation of Part 1 (The Union and Its Territory) and Articles 1 to 4 of the Indian Constitution, including the history of the reorganization of states in India and the partition of undivided India. The key points covered in the video are: Part 1 of the Constitution: The Union and Its Territory Part 1 contains Articles 1 to 4, which deal with the territory of India and the formation of states. Article 1: India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States India is a union, not a federation. This means that no state in India has the right to secede (unlike the US, which is a federation where states are formed by agreement). The names of the states are given in the First Schedule. India has three categories of states: States, Union Territories, and Acquired Territories. Article 2: Accession of Foreign Territories to India Parliament has the power to admit any new territory outside India into India. Parliament obtains prior notice/permission from the President before doing so, which is merely a formality. Example: Sikkim was made an Associate State by the 35th Amendment (1974), and then became India's 22nd state by the 36th Amendment (1975). Article 3: Alterations in the existing states of India [14:09] Parliament has the power to change the names of existing states of India, alter their boundaries (enlarge or reduce them), or create new states by splitting/merging two states. Parliament can do this without the consent of the state concerned (e.g., Telangana was created by splitting Andhra Pradesh). Example: Formation of Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. Article 4: Special provisions for Articles 2 and 3 When Parliament exercises Article 2 (addition of foreign states) or Article 3 (addition/absorption of states), it requires a simple majority (more than 50%), not a special majority (66%). These laws are excluded from Article 368, which means the President is bound to sign them and cannot revoke them. Whenever a new state is added or split, Schedule 1 (names of states) and Schedule 4 (Rajya Sabha seats) also have to be amended. History of Unified India and the Reorganization of States Fragments of Unified India: 1893: Afghanistan was separated by the Durand Line 1935: Burma (Myanmar) was separated 1947: Pakistan and East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) were divided by the Radcliffe Line Integration of Princely States: At the time of independence, there were over 552 princely states in India. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, V.P. Menon, and Lord Mountbatten integrated these states into India. Three princely states that resisted: Hyderabad: Integrated into India through Operation Polo (police action) Junagadh: Integrated into India through a referendum Jammu and Kashmir: Raja Hari Singh integrated into India by signing the Instrument of Accession (October 26, 1947) Demand for reorganization of states (based on language): S.K. Dhar Commission (1948) and J.V.P. The Committee (1948) opposed the formation of states on linguistic basis. 1953: Andhra Pradesh became the first state to be formed on linguistic basis (for the Telugu language) after Potti Sriramulu's death following a 56-day hunger strike. Fazal Ali Commission (1953): The government constituted this commission, which submitted its report in 1956. The commission accepted the formation of states on linguistic basis but rejected the principle of 'one language, one state'. Its recommendations were implemented by the 7th Amendment, 1956, resulting in the creation of 14 states and 6 union territories. Bifurcation of PEPSU: Punjab was divided in 1966 on the recommendation of the Shah Commission. Hilly region: Himachal Pradesh Hindi-speaking region: Haryana Punjabi-speaking region: Punjab Capital: Chandigarh (Union Territory) Current status (video) According to): There are 28 states and 8 union territories in India #lifeoflaw