Preamble To The Constitution of India

The preamble to the Constitution of India is a brief introductory statement that sets out the guiding purpose and principles of the document. The preamble-page, along with other pages of the original Constitution of India, was designed and decorated solely by renowned painter Beohar Rammanohar Sinha of Jabalpur who was at Shantiniketan with acharya Nandalal Bose at that time. Nandalal Bose endorsed Beohar Rammanohar Sinha's artwork without any alteration whatsoever. As such, the page bears Beohar Rammanohar Sinha's short signature Ram in Devanagari lower-right corner.

That the preamble is not an integral part of the Indian constitution was first decided upon by the Supreme Court of India in the BeruBari case; therefore it is not enforceable in a court of law. However, the Supreme Court of India has, in the Kesavananda case, recognised that the preamble may be used to interpret ambiguous areas of the constitution where differing interpretations present themselves. In the 1995 case of Union Government Vs LIC of India also the Supreme Court has once again held that the Preamble is an integral part of the Constitution.

As originally enacted the preamble described the state as a "sovereign democratic republic". In 1976 the Forty-second Amendment changed this to read "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic".

Read more about Preamble To The Constitution Of India:  Full Text, Forty-second Amendment

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