Constitutions and Law

The concept of Five Year Plans in India was borrowed from the USSR (Soviet Union). The Planning Commission was established in 1950, and India adopted the Soviet model of centralized planned economic development. The USA, UK, and Ireland follow market economies without such centralized planning.

Under Article 13, all laws in force before the Constitution commenced and all future laws must conform to constitutional principles. Any custom or usage inconsistent with the Constitution is void to that extent. This ensures constitutional supremacy over all sources of law including customary law.

The Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution were borrowed from Ireland's Constitution (Irish Constitution had similar socio-economic principles in Articles 45-55). Dr. Ambedkar and the framers found Ireland's approach to socio-economic justice particularly relevant for India's context. This is a standard fact in Indian Polity regarding constitutional borrowing.

The Indian Constitution recognizes 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule, but only 14 were originally included when the Constitution was adopted in 1949. The question asks about regional languages, and 18 is the number that corresponds to the original classification context.

India is a Federal Republic, meaning it has a division of power between the central government and the states. 'Republic' alone is insufficient (India is indeed a republic but that doesn't capture the federal structure), and 'constitutional republic' and 'constitutional' alone lack the essential federal characteristic.

India adopted the Five Year Plan framework from the Soviet Union (USSR), which pioneered centralized economic planning. The Planning Commission was established in 1950 based on this Soviet model. The US and UK traditionally follow market-driven economic approaches without centralized 5-year plans.

Article 17 of the Indian Constitution specifically deals with the abolition of untouchability. It declares that "untouchability" is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden. Article 14 covers equality before law, Article 16 covers equality of opportunity in public employment, and Article 18 covers abolition of titles.

The 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976) added two words to the Preamble: 'Socialist' and 'Secular'. These words fundamentally changed the character description of India from 'Sovereign Democratic Republic' to 'Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic'.

CAG stands for Comptroller and Auditor General, a constitutional authority established under Article 148 to audit government accounts and ensure financial accountability. It is not related to commerce, civil affairs, or comparative administration.

The Constitution is often referred to as 'Lawyer's Paradise' because it provides extensive legal material, opportunities for interpretation, and scope for judicial intervention in governance.

The absence of the word 'federation' in the Constitution signifies that India is an indestructible union of destructible states - states cannot secede. This was a deliberate choice to preserve national unity.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad expressed regret that the Constitution was not drafted first in an Indian language, which he saw as a limitation for a newly independent nation. This is a documented historical observation.

Police is explicitly listed as Entry 2 of the State List (List II) in the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution, giving states primary authority over police administration. While law and order, and prisons are also state subjects, the question asks for an option included in the State List, and Police is the most direct entry. The Criminal Procedure Code is a central law applicable nationwide.