Part XXII of the Constitution

Here is a quiz for you. Which Article of the Constitution says the document is called “the Constitution of India”? Most people guess the Preamble or Article 1. Both are wrong. The answer sits at the very end, in Part XXII. It is the shortest Part of the Constitution. Yet it names the document, sets its birthday and ends British-era law.

1What Is in Part XXII of the Constitution?

• Part XXII is the last Part of the Constitution. Its title is “Short title, commencement, authoritative text in Hindi and repeals”.
• It has only a few Articles. They are 393, 394, 394A and 395.
• Article 393 gives the short title. It says: “This Constitution may be called the Constitution of India.”
• Article 394 fixes when the Constitution begins. It names 26 January 1950.
• Article 394A deals with the authoritative Hindi text. It was added later, by the 58th Amendment in 1987.
• Article 395 repeals the Indian Independence Act, 1947 and the Government of India Act, 1935.
• Many books list only three Articles. That is the older picture. The Hindi-text Article was added afterwards.
• Why does this matter? Students often assume these facts sit in the Preamble. They do not. Each fact has a numbered Article.

2Why Does the Constitution Have Two Birthdays?

• Think of a school result. A paper is checked on one day, and the result is declared on another day. The Constitution also had two key days.
• On 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution. This is adoption day.
• On 26 January 1950, the Constitution came into force as law. This is commencement day. We now celebrate it as Republic Day.
• The gap is about two months. Both days are important, but they mean different things.
• The most common mistake is mixing up the two. A question asks about adoption, and the student picks the commencement date.
• A simple trick helps. November is the “yes, we adopt it” month. January is the “now it works” month.
• Members of the Assembly signed the final copy on 24 January 1950, just before commencement.

3What Does Article 394 Really Do?

• Article 394 is the commencement clause. It says the Constitution comes into force on 26 January 1950.
• There is a twist. A few Articles started working at once, on 26 November 1949.
• Article 394 itself says so. The list is Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 60, 324, 366, 367, 379, 380, 388, 391, 392 and 393, along with Article 394.
• Why start these early? The country needed a base before the full Constitution began.
• Articles 5 to 9 deal with citizenship. Article 324 sets up the Election Commission. Articles 379 and 380 deal with the provisional Parliament.
• So work on citizens, elections and a temporary Parliament could begin in advance.
• Everything else, including Fundamental Rights, waited for 26 January 1950.
• The text calls 26 January 1950 “the commencement of this Constitution”. That phrase appears again and again in the document.

4What Does Article 395 End?

• Article 395 is the formal legal goodbye to old British laws.
• It repeals the Indian Independence Act, 1947. That law partitioned British India and created two new countries.
• It also repeals the Government of India Act, 1935. This was the last major colonial constitutional law.
• The 1935 Act mattered a lot. Many ideas in our Constitution, such as the federal setup, trace back to it.
• Think about the order of events. In 1947, power moved from Britain to India. In 1950, the old law was finally cancelled.
• So 1947 was a political change. Article 395 was the legal change.
• Together, they close the chapter of British constitutional authority over India.

5Why Did the Makers Pick 26 January?

• The date was no accident. It echoes 26 January 1930.
• On that day, the Indian National Congress marked Purna Swaraj, or complete independence. This followed the Lahore session of 1929.
• The Congress had told the country to celebrate the day as Independence Day each year.
• When India became independent on 15 August 1947, that older date lost its purpose. The makers gave it a new one.
• They chose 26 January 1950 as the day the Constitution would start. A pledge from 1930 became a working law in 1950.
• For the exam, note the link between the two dates. Questions often pair Purna Swaraj with Republic Day.

6What Is Constitution Day?

• 26 November is observed each year as Constitution Day. It marks the adoption in 1949.
• It was first formally observed in 2015. That year marked the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
• Its aim is to spread constitutional values among citizens, especially young people.
• Do not confuse it with Republic Day. Republic Day is 26 January and marks commencement.
• Current-affairs questions often pair the day with its 1949 origin and its 2015 start.

7What Should You Remember for Exams?

Must Know

• Part XXII has Articles 393, 394, 394A and 395.
• Article 393 is the short title.
• Article 394 gives the commencement date, 26 January 1950.
• Article 395 repeals the Indian Independence Act, 1947 and the Government of India Act, 1935.

Good to Know

• The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949.
• It came into force on 26 January 1950.
• Constitution Day has been observed since 2015.
• Do not mix up the adoption date and the commencement date (Trap).

Great to Know

• Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 60, 324, 366, 367, 379, 380, 388, 391, 392 and 393 started on 26 November 1949.
• Article 394A on the Hindi text came through the 58th Amendment in 1987.
• The Preamble does not name the Constitution (Trap).

8How Has This Been Asked in Exams?