---
title: "Preamble, Union, Territory & Citizenship | Model Diplomat"
description: "Master the Preamble's text and amendability, Articles 1-4 on the Union and its territory, and the citizenship regime under the Citizenship Act of 1955."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/upsc-indian-polity-preamble-union-its-territory-citizenship"
---

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Preamble, Union & its territory, citizenship

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# Preamble, Union & its territory, citizenship

UPSC polity core: the Preamble's text and amendability, Articles 1-4 on Union and territory, and the Citizenship Act, 1955 regime.

## The Preamble: text, source and legal status

The Preamble to the Constitution of India is the condensed statement of its philosophy. As amended by the **42nd Amendment Act, 1976**, it declares India a **SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC** and resolves to secure to all citizens **Justice** (social, economic, political), **Liberty** (of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship), **Equality** (of status and opportunity), and to promote **Fraternity** assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation. The words *Socialist*, *Secular* and *integrity* were inserted in 1976; the original 1949 text read 'Sovereign Democratic Republic' and spoke of 'unity of the Nation'.

The ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity were borrowed from the **French Revolution (1789)**, while the very phrase **'We, the People of India'** and the device of beginning with a preamble follow the **Constitution of the United States (1787)**. The objectives derive from the **Objectives Resolution** moved by Jawaharlal Nehru on **13 December 1946** and adopted by the Constituent Assembly on **22 January 1947**.

## Is the Preamble part of the Constitution?

The Supreme Court reversed itself on this question. In **Berubari Union case (1960)** the Court held the Preamble was **not** part of the Constitution and could not override express enacting provisions. In **Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973)** it overruled that view, holding the Preamble **is** part of the Constitution. The current position: the Preamble is part of the Constitution, but it is **non-justiciable** (confers no enforceable power and imposes no prohibition) and is **not a source of legislative power or of limitation on power**.

## Amendability of the Preamble

Kesavananda Bharati settled that the Preamble **can be amended under Article 368**, but only so long as the **basic structure** is not destroyed. The **42nd Amendment, 1976** demonstrated this when it inserted three words. The date of adoption recorded in the Preamble itself is **26 November 1949** (Constitution Day), though most provisions commenced on **26 January 1950**.

For the secular ideal, the Court in **S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994)** held secularism to be part of the basic structure, treating the Preamble's language as a touchstone for assessing the constitutionality of Presidential proclamations under Article 356. A challenge to the 1976 insertions of 'socialist' and 'secular' was **dismissed by the Supreme Court in November 2024**, which affirmed Parliament's power to amend the Preamble and held the words had acquired settled constitutional meaning. Retain these holdings precisely: examiners test the *Berubari–Kesavananda* shift and the basic-structure limit on Preamble amendment as a paired fact.

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